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By: News 8 Austin Staff
Immigrants were held captive by smugglers at the Mi Casa apartments on Duval Street.
The Austin Police Department arrested two men accused of human trafficking Friday and charges were filed Monday morning.
Police said Jose Luis Perez and Santiago Cruz Ramirez were holding people against their will in Austin.
According to officials, a Honduran man called 911 from the Haven Food Mart on East St. John Avenue Friday. He told police that he was being held captive by smugglers at the Mi Casa apartments on Duval Street.
He said the "coyotes" were holding him against his will, with no food or water, until his family paid a $2,100 ransom. A "coyote" is a term for a person who illegally transports immigrants across the border for a price.
"He said that his family was being told that they had to pay a ransom for him to be set free, and if his family didn't pay the ransom, they threatened him with bodily injury," spokesperson for Austin Police Department, Corporal Scott Perry, said.
The victim said he was able to jump through a window and call for help. When police went to the apartment to investigate, they found at least four other victims who claimed to be held against their will.
The other victims told the same story that the original victim told. They said the "coyotes" smuggled them into the country, then held them to try and extort money from their families.
Officials said this was not an isolated incident.
Carmen Cortes-Harms is the Director of Immigration Legal Services at Catholic Charities of Central Texas.
She said people don't always get what they're promised when they come to the United States.
"The families in their home countries, they don't know what�s happening and people get threats, so they're really afraid to speak and seek any help. It can happen to anybody who comes into this country and is trying to better their life," Cortes-Harms said.
David Taguacta was outside the Haven Food Mart when the victim arrived.
"He was held hostage, and he had no choice but to break that window to get out. At least he came to the right place, right here," Taguacta said.
APD is still looking into whether there are other victims or suspects. They're also trying to determine if there were other people involved in getting the victims to the apartment, and if that was their final destination, or just a stopping point.
According to officials, a Honduran man called 911 from the Haven Food Mart on East St. John Avenue Friday.
Human trafficking victims can be given a T visa.
A T visa allows them to remain in the U.S. as long as they assist in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases.
The investigation remains ongoing. All the victims have been released into the care of relatives.
News 8 Austin | 24 Hour Local News | HEADLINES | APD arrests 2 men for holding immigrants for ransom
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