Seven undocumented immigrants, including children hiding in car trunks, were taken into custody Wednesday night at Interstate 19 checkpoints.
Border Patrol agents found the people in two separate incidents, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.
Shortly before 6 p.m., agents referred a white four-door sedan for a secondary inspection and discovered three immigrants concealed in the trunk after the driver consented to a vehicle search, authorities said.
The three were Mexican nationals, and one was 16 years old.
Less than an hour later, agents found four undocumented immigrants from Guatemala in a car trunk. Two of the immigrants were under the age of 14, said officials.
Both cars did not have emergency releases inside the trunks, and did not have ventilation, agents said.Β The drivers of both vehicles were arrested, officials said.
The inside temperature of closed trunks can reach in excess of 125 degrees during summer months in Arizona, officials said.
"This is another example of the callous disregard for life indicative of criminal organizations," said Chief Patrol Agent Paul Beeson.
The Border Patrol's Tucson Sector has more than 230 emergency medical technicians who are trained to provide life-saving treatment, Beeson said.
