Deaths at center of blame game
After US truck tragedy, barbs fly on partisan lines over border policy
The deaths of 51 migrants in a scorching-hot truck sparked political finger-pointing in the United States on Tuesday.
The victims died under a brutal Texas sun in San Antonio on Monday, when outdoor temperatures topped 38 C.
Forty-six people were found dead at the scene, and a further five died later. In total, 39 males and 12 females died. The victims were primarily from Mexico and Central American countries.
The deaths highlighted the challenge of controlling migrant crossings for US President Joe Biden, a Democrat who came into office pledging to reverse some of the hard-line immigration policies of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. But some Trumpera border policies are still in place.
Taking a shot at Biden, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, tweeted on Monday that “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,” said Abbott, who has been prominent among the Republicans portraying Biden as soft on border controls.
Biden, however, blamed the tragedy on “smuggling”.
“This incident underscores the need to go after the multibilliondollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
It is one of the deadliest tragedies in Mexico-Texas illegal border crossings. More than a dozen migrants, including four children, are recovering in hospital.
The driver of the truck and two other people have been arrested, US Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press.
Two Mexicans were charged with possessing firearms while in the United States illegally, according to court documents and US authorities.
A vigil was held in the rain on Tuesday evening at a San Antonio park.
‘Beyond explanation’
“It’s unspeakable,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said on MSNBC, noting that his community depends on migrants while there is a labor shortage. “It’s a tragedy beyond explanation.”
“This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy,” Nirenberg said at a news conference. “We hope that those responsible for putting these people under such inhuman conditions are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Guatemala’s Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that the country’s
consulate in McAllen, Texas, had contacted forensic experts working to identify if any of the deceased and hospitalized were from Guatemala.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday morning that so far 22 of the dead have been identified as being from his country.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday he had spoken with US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas about the deaths.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ press office said on Tuesday: “Authorities in both the US and Mexico must investigate and bring to justice all those who had a role in the chain of events that resulted in this tragedy.”
“This horror once again highlights the need for comprehensive strategies for safe, orderly and regular migration in the region,” said the note.
CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus
had warned of the danger of crossing the border during the summer a couple of weeks ago.
“The terrain along the Southwest Border is extreme, the summer heat is severe, and the miles of desert that migrants must hike after crossing the border are unforgiving. Our message to those who would try and gain illegal entry to the United States remains the same — don’t make the dangerous journey only to be sent back.”
San Antonio has been a popular drop-off spot for migrant trafficking. Near midnight on June 3, border agents encountered more than 20 migrants who ran away from a tractor-trailer and needed medical attention near a highway.
In June 2021, about 60 to 80 migrants were found being transported in air-conditioned trailers within the city limits.