‘These deaths are on Biden’: Death toll in Texas migrant tragedy rises to 50 as Gov. Abbott says President’s ‘deadly open border policies’ are responsible for America’s deadliest human smuggling tragedy ever
- Texas Gov. Greg Abott blames President Joe Biden’s ‘deadly open border policies’ for the deadliest human smuggling tragedy in recent American history
- At least 50 people were found dead inside an abandoned tractor-trailer near San Antonio, Texas on Monday
- Another 16 people, including four children, were rushed to hospitals to treat heatstroke and dehydration
- It may be the deadliest incident connected to illegal smuggling of people across the southern U.S. border
- Temperatures in San Antonio – 160 miles from the Mexican border – were as high as 103F on Monday
- Fire department chief said the trailer was refrigerated, but that the air conditioning was not functioning
- Three people were taken into custody, though police are yet to establish whether they are ‘absolutely connected to this or not’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said President Joe Biden’s ‘deadly open border policies’ are to blame for the deaths of 50 migrants found inside an abandoned tractor-trailer in 103-degree heat.
The state’s Republican chief claims the president’s ‘refusal to enforce the law’ caused one of the most deadly incidents of human smuggling along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Firefighters found ‘stacks of bodies’ in a truck next to railroad tracks in San Antonio’s southern outskirts, close to Interstate 35 which runs to the Mexican border, on Monday. There were no signs of water in the truck.
Some of the victims staggered out of the trailer before dying and were found several blocks away, police told The Texas Tribune. The migrants had been sprinkled with steak seasoning in apparent bid to cover up their smell as they were being transported.
Sixteen survivors, including four children were rushed to nearby hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion. They were found by a local worker, who investigated the scene after hearing a faint cry for help emanating from the truck.
Police say they are not confident they have accounted for everyone from the truck and do not know what the total number is.
Mexico’s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed Tuesday morning that the deceased includes 22 migrants from Mexico, seven from Guatemala and two from Honduras. The other migrants have yet to be identified. Officials note that no children were among the dead.
‘These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies,’ Abbott tweeted Monday night, hours after the bodies were discovered. ‘They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.’
The incident marks the deadliest human smuggling on American soil since 2003 when 19 migrants died after riding inside the rear compartment of sweltering 18-wheeler while they traveled from South Texas to Houston. The death doll rose to 50 from 46 on Tuesday morning.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blamed President Joe Biden for the deaths of the 50 migrants found dead inside an abandoned tractor-trailer. The truck was found abandoned by railroad tracks and salvage yards by an individual who worked nearby
Law enforcement officers carry a body at the scene where people were found dead inside a trailer truck in San Antonio
Local priests from the San Antonio Archdiocese stand near the scene where a tractor-trailer was discovered with migrants inside outside San Antonio
Several other GOP members took to social media blaming Biden’s immigration policies for the tragedy.
‘Horrific. This..is..WRONG’ Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted. ‘How many more people have to die before Dems give a damn?’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said President Joe Biden ‘s ‘deadly open border policies’ are to blame for the deaths of the 50 migrants found dead inside an abandoned tractor-trailer in 103-degree heat. He claims the president’s ‘refusal to enforce the law’ caused one of the most deadly incidents of human smuggling along the U.S.- Mexico border
Secretary Mayorkas responded to the incident, alleging he was ‘heartbroken’ and issued his prayers for the injured.
‘I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of life today and am praying for those still fighting for their lives,’ he said. ‘Far too many lives have been lost as individuals – including families, women, and children – take this dangerous journey.’
The DHS secretary called the human smugglers ‘callous individuals who have no regard for the vulnerable people they exploit and endanger in order to make a profit’ and alleged the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was investigating the incident.
Democrats hit back, placing blame on the GOP for the tragic loss of life.
Congressman Joaquin Castro said: ‘We must end Title 42 which has put desperate, oppressed people in grave danger of death. Title 42 has created more business, repeat business, for human smugglers.’
Texas gubernatorial candidate for former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke said: ‘We need urgent action — dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our country’s needs.’
Sixteen survivors, including four children were rushed to nearby hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion. They were found by a local worker, who investigated the scene after hearing a faint cry for help emanating from the truck. No children were among the dead
A group of individuals, lead by local priests, are pictured in apparent prayer at the scene of the human smuggling incident
Police Chief William McManus said on Monday that three individuals were taken into custody, but that it had not been established whether they were ‘absolutely connected to this or not’
Texas Governor blames Biden’s border measures for tragedy
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a fresh condemnation of President Biden’s border measures – and blamed them for Monday’s tragedy.
He tweeted: ‘At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas. These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.’
Abbott has repeatedly crossed swords with Biden over immigration in recent months, as the number of illegal crossings over the southern border into states including his soared to record levels.
In April, Abbott sought to embarrass Biden over the crisis by busing migrants to Washington DC and leaving them on the steps of the US Capitol.
Abbott also announced a $500 million package of measures to try and slash immigration.
That included deploying Texas National Guard members to try and stem the flow of migrants into the US.
Police Chief William McManus said three individuals were taken into custody, but that it had not been established whether they were ‘absolutely connected to this or not.’
The truck had U.S. and Texas registration numbers listed on the cab. State department on transportation records connected the tags to an Alamo resident.
However, the resident’s son-in-law, Issac Limon, claims those running the smuggling ring fraudulently printed the tags on the truck.
‘It was a perfect setup,’ Limon told The Washington Post. ‘The truck is here. I’m looking at it right now. Sad to say, but he’s a bit of a victim, too, because people believe it was him.’
Limon claims the truck that actually corresponds with the registration is a Volvo and was being used to haul grain over the past week in another part of Texas.
He noted that is father-in-law was ‘shaken up’ by the incident.
The truck was found abandoned by auto salvage yards and railroad tracks around 6pm Monday.
McManus said a nearby worker ‘heard a cry for help and came out to investigate’, before finding the trailer’s doors partially opened upon arrival and discovering dozens of bodies.
Texas has been experiencing a near-record heat wave, while temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 160 miles from the Mexican border, swelled to a high of 103F on Monday with high humidity.
‘The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion,’ fire chief Charles Hood said in a Monday press briefing.
‘[There were] no signs of water in the vehicle. It was a refrigerated trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig.’
Christine and Michael Ybarra embrace at the scene where people were found dead inside a trailer truck in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. June 27, 2022
Body bags lie at the scene where a tractor trailer with multiple dead bodies was discovered, Monday, June 27, 2022, in San Antonio
San Antonio Police chief McManus said he could not confirm whether all the victims had been found, and that canine units would be deployed in the morning to continue searching
Onlookers stand near the scene where the semitrailer was found on Monday in South Texas
June 27, 2022: At least 50 migrants were found dead Monday in and around a large trailer truck that was abandoned on the roadside on the outskirts of of San Antonio, Texas.
The tractor-trailer was found on a road near I-35 amid 103-degree heat.
August 4, 2021: Ten people were killed and at 20 others injured after a van transporting migrants crashed near the border in Encino, Texas. The driver had attempted to make a right turn at an intersection before veering off the road and hitting both a utility pole and stop sign.
March 2, 2021: Thirteen migrants were killed and several including children injured after Ford SUV ‘with 25 immigrants crammed inside’ crashed into a gravel truck near the Mexican border in California. Witnesses recalled the sounds of crunching metal and glass, and how bodies flung dozens of feet across the pavement.
June 5, 2019: A SUV packed with more than a dozen undocumented migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico, crashed after a chase with police in rural South Texas. The vehicle had veered into a ditch in rainy weather.
July 23, 2017: Eight immigrants were found dead in a sweltering trailer at a San Antonio Walmart parking lot. Two others died later in hospitals. The driver was sentenced to life in prison.
July 22, 2012: A Ford pick-up truck carrying 23 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico crashed into two trees in a rural South Texas town. Fifteen people were killed in the incident.
May 14, 2003: 19 migrants died inside a sweltering tractor-trailer while they traveled from South Texas to Houston.
McManus said Monday searches to find any survivors that may have escaped were ongoing.
‘We had our canines out there going through the woods and we may have to do that again tomorrow in the light of day,’ he said.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the 50 who died had ‘families who were likely trying to find a better life’.
‘The plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian crisis,’ said Nirenberg.
‘But tonight we are dealing with a horrific human tragedy.’
Locals said that the location where the truck was found was a known drop-off point for migrants, according to The New York Times.
‘You can tell they just got here. We see them with backpacks or asking for food or money,’ Ruby Chavez, 53, told The New York Times.
‘They know this area. They jump off the train and get picked up,’ Chavez’s husband said.
The I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICE’s investigative unit who retired in December.
Staton said migrants have regularly been intercepted in the area since the 2017 incident.
‘It was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this was going to happen again,’ he said.
Yesterday’s deaths highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, which have reached record highs.
The issue has proven difficult for U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat who has pledged to reverse some of the hard-line immigration policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott hit out at the President following the deaths, blaming the deadly incident on the Biden administration’s lax approach to border control – a key issue for the upcoming November elections.
The deaths ‘are the result of his deadly open border policies,’ Abbott wrote. ‘They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.’
An ambulance leaves the scene where police said dozens of people were found dead in a semitrailer in a remote area in southwestern San Antonio
Police block the scene. It may be the deadliest tragedy among thousands who have died attempting to cross the U.S. border from Mexico in recent decades
Police block the scene where a semitrailer with multiple dead bodies were discovered
Monday’s tragic was one of the deadliest incidents of illegal smuggling of people across the southern U.S. border.
Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped inside a truck that was parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio.
Big rigs emerged as a popular smuggling method in the early 1990s amid a surge in U.S. border enforcement in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, which were then the busiest corridors for illegal crossings.
Prior to that, people paid small fees to mom-and-pop operators to get them across a largely unguarded border.
As crossings became exponentially more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., migrants were led through more dangerous terrain and paid thousands of dollars more to smugglers.
Heat poses a serious danger, and temperatures can rise severely inside vehicles.
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