On the evening of Monday June 27 2022, more than 50 immigrants were found dead inside a trailer in San Antonio, Texas. The travesty appears to be the result of an attempted human smuggling operation. According to CNN News, “Three people detained away from the trailer site are in police custody, though their connection to the situation is unclear.”
Weather conditions this past Monday were immensely hot and potentially dangerous. This undoubtedly contributed to the outcome of the casualties. In addition, the now deceased migrants seem to have been in very desolate conditions during their time in the truck. As the bodies were discovered, they appear to have been suffering from both heat exhaustion and dehydration. CNN also states, “‘Sixteen people — 12 adults and four children — were taken alive and conscious to medical facilities’, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said at Monday night’s news conference.”
During the voyage, the migrants were not equipped with proper life sustaining resources for even a remotely successful journey. Reporters to CNN depicts the unfavorable conditions, “‘Patients were hot to the touch and suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, the refrigerated semi tractor-trailer had no visible working air conditioning unit, and there was no sign of water inside.’” The enclosed proximity between the bodies in close to 100 degree weather certainly informed their declining health and eventual death.
The nationalities represented in the truck were that of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Representatives of Homeland Security are speaking out about the news in an empathetic and
concerned fashion. Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, states “I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of life today and am praying for those still fighting for their lives, far too many lives have been lost as individuals — including families, women, and children — take this dangerous journey.”
Irrespective of the alleged smuggling associated with this case, the nature of this scenario highlights just how desperate foreign citizens are to enter the United States. The many lives lost in Monday’s tragedy are representative of many south of the U.S. border citizens who are seeking refuge in this country. The desolate means to which they attempted the enter the U.S. speaks volumes to the conditions which they longed to escape.
The migrants, even in their death, may undoubtedly be criminalized for their actions. However, they are a reflection of the many families, women, and children who voyage to America without resources in search of a better life. It is our hope at Reeves Immigration that their deaths will not be in vain, but the exposure of such a tragedy will continue to circulate in mainstream news, breeding empathy for the countless migrants who are desperate for the American Dream.
