Previously Deported Guatemalan: ‘If It Weren’t for the Border Patrol, I Would Have Died’

During a sentencing hearing before a federal judge in McAllen, Texas, on Tuesday morning, Jacob Lix-Par credited the Border Patrol for saving his life. In June, Lix-Par, a 41-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, was freed from a burning tractor-trailer alongside 38 other illegal aliens in a dramatic rescue captured on video.

Lix-Par appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane in the Southern District of Texas to face sentencing for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported. As highlighted in a report by Valley Central, a digital news platform in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, Lix-Par made the statement during Tuesday’s hearing, saying, “I was kidnapped by some people who forced me to get on the trailer. And that trailer started to burn. If it weren’t for the Border Patrol, I would have died.” Lix-Par was subsequently sentenced to 10 months in prison.

According to Valley Central, Lix-Par lived in Houston for about 20 years until his arrest for driving while intoxicated in September 2025. The arrest ultimately led to his deportation less than a month later. Lix-Par would return to the United States in November, a move that would see him arrested by the Border Patrol immediately after his illegal entry near Roma, Texas.

After a short stint in jail for his illegal entry, Lix-Par was deported again to Guatemala. Lix-Par escaped apprehension after illegally crossing the border a third time in June 2026. That decision would result in the migrant gotaway being rescued from the burning tractor-trailer near Falfurrias, Texas, just one day later.

According to the Border Patrol, on June 4, 2026, a tractor-trailer arrived for inspection at the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint. While interviewing the driver, a Border Patrol K-9 team performed an open-air search, during which the canine alerted to the possible presence of concealed humans or contraband in the conveyance. The driver immediately fled from the checkpoint, and a pursuit followed.

According to Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Chris Olivarez, Texas Highway Patrol troopers responded to assist Border Patrol agents in pursuing the tractor-trailer on Highway 281 near the Border Patrol checkpoint. Troopers deployed a tire deflation device in hopes of stopping the vehicle. After the deployment of the device, the driver continued to flee until the vehicle came to a stop, and responding law enforcement officers found the vehicle engulfed in flames.

A social media post by Olivarez contained video of the dramatic rescue that shows Texas Highway Patrol troopers and Border Patrol agents working furiously to unlock the trailer and free those locked inside. Ultimately, 39 illegal aliens were freed from the locked trailer just moments before certain death.

Two occupants inside the tractor cab were arrested and charged in the case. The case, USA v. Holguin-Florentino et al., continues to move through the federal court system in McAllen, Texas. Both men remain in federal custody.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Before retiring, he served as Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.