McALLEN, TEXAS — A 41-year-old Guatemalan man who survived being locked in the back of a burning tractor-trailer during a smuggling run in South Texas told a federal judge Tuesday that Border Patrol saved his life — and that he will never attempt to cross again.
“I was kidnapped by some people who forced me to get on the trailer. And that trailer started to burn,” Jacob Lix Par said through a translator at the federal courthouse in McAllen. “If it weren’t for the Border Patrol, I would have died. Every day I wake up with what I remember of what happened that day. I will never return again.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Lix to 10 months in prison for illegally re-entering the country.
What Happened
On June 3, 2026, Lix crossed the Rio Grande near Hidalgo and was taken by smugglers to a stash house, where he and 38 other people were packed into a trailer. The doors were locked and the truck headed north on US-281.
Border Patrol stopped the tractor-trailer at 8:36 p.m. on June 4 at a checkpoint near Falfurrias. The driver was sent to secondary inspection but fled instead. A Texas DPS trooper deployed a tire deflation device, but the driver kept going until the rig caught fire. Flames spread from the truck cab to the trailer. The migrants inside began screaming.
Troopers and Border Patrol agents unlocked the trailer and rescued all 39 people just minutes before the trailer was completely engulfed in flames. All 39 were medically screened before being taken into custody. The driver and a passenger were also arrested.
The smugglers later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.
Lix’s Background
Lix had lived in the Houston area for about 20 years before being arrested by Houston Police in September 2025 for driving while intoxicated. He was deported less than a month later, attempted to return on November 1, 2025, was caught near Roma, jailed for several months, and deported again before attempting the crossing that nearly killed him.
“I know you’ve lived in the Houston area for 20 years, but you just got to make a life for yourself down in Guatemala,” Judge Crane told Lix at sentencing. “Because every time you come back, you’re just going to get into more trouble.”
Interviews courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
