50 migrants were found dead inside a truck container in San Antonio, Texas. Photo from social media.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) confirmed on Tuesday, June 28, during his daily morning press conference, that US authorities had found 50 dead migrants inside a truck in the city of San Antonio, Texas, considered to have died from asphyxiation. Obrador added, “So far, there are 50 deceased: 22 from Mexico, seven from Guatemala, two from Honduras, and 19 whose nationalities are still unknown.”
Actualizo información de Texas proporcionada por autoridades de EU. 50 fallecidos. 22 mexicanos. 7 guatemaltecos. 2 hondureños. Los demás por ser identificados aún. Estamos de luto. Tragedia enorme. México se incorpora a indagatorias en EU, coordinados con DHS.
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) June 28, 2022
President López Obrador called the incident “tremendously unfortunate” and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He also reported that personnel from the Consulate of Mexico in Texas were already in the area, aiding in the investigation. It has been indicated that some human trafficking group was transferring the migrants packed inside the container, and they died from asphyxiation.
“These unfortunate events of course have to do with the situation of poverty and desperation of our Central American brothers and sisters, as well as Mexicans,” lamented the president. “This happens because there is also human trafficking and a lack of control at the border between Mexico and the United States and also within the US.”
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No water or air conditioning
According to police sources, the 50 bodies and 16 people who were still alive were found on Monday, June 27 inside a trailer in San Antonio, Texas. The 16 survivors included four children, all of whom were taken to hospitals in the area. All of those found within the container had suffered the effects of sweltering heat, as temperature on that day had reached 37Cº in the city. The situation had worsened as there was no water or air conditioning inside the trailer.
“The patients we attended were hot to the touch, suffering from heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and with no sign of water inside the vehicle. It was a refrigerator truck, but there was no evidence that there was a working air conditioning unit,” stated San Antonio Fire Department chief Charles Hood.
So far, three persons have been reportedly arrested in connection with this incident, which is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security. It has not confirmed whether human trafficking was involved.
AMLO-Biden Meeting
During the press conference, the Mexican president also announced that he would meet US President Joe Biden in Washington, on July 12. The two presidents are set to discuss migration issues.
AMLO informed that he would request an extension of the temporary work visas for Mexican and Central American workers in the United States, as a measure to regularize the migrant flow and avoid tragedies like the one that occurred in San Antonio.
“Work force is required [in the US], despite this policy of building a wall or preventing migrants from arriving by all means,” said López Obrador. “I believe that order must be put in place, there must be legality, that there should be no human trafficking and, at the same time, there should be options.”
He will also discuss a joint plan with Joe Biden to address the inflation situation in both countries.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/GMS/SC
