Two suspects arrested in connection with Texas human smuggling operation, 21 victims rescued

Two suspects were arrested for human smuggling after the Federal Bureau of Investigations raided a home in Fort Worth, Texas.

The FBI raided the home during the early morning hours on Friday and located 21 Honduran refugees who were allegedly being held captive. 

Multiple agencies, including the FBI and Fort Worth Police Department, were involved in the discovery.

Gonzalo Ramirez, 33, and Carlos Plata Ibarra, 35, were arrested by Fort Worth Police and charged with Smuggling of Persons.

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The victims had been “stripped naked, unfed, cold, and scared and held hostage” by “coyotes,” smugglers who traffic humans across the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a statement from Domingo Garcia, the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization in the U.S. 

Officials said the victims had not eaten for a number of days.

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They have been granted temporary immunity from deportation under the provisions of a special visa that protects victims of alleged crimes. They have since been released to LULAC, which offered them shelter, clothes and food.

The incident remains an active investigation, according to officials.