Edinburg Assistant Police Chief Oscar Trevino tells KGBT-TV the immigrants from several different countries may have been locked inside the 18-wheeler for at least eight hours before being freed by officers Sunday morning.
None of the people inside the tractor-trailer required medical attention. Trevino says two people believed to be in charge of the rig were detained.
The television station reports Edinburg police responded after getting an anonymous call from someone saying a relative was trapped inside the tractor-trailer with several others.
A spokeswoman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the agency is investigating the case.