Tex. trailer immigs may get sent back
THE CITY’S firefighter union celebrated a century of achievement Tuesday.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association commemorated its 100th anniversary with a special recap of all the battles they’ve fought over the last century — from blistering infernos that consumed homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, to the health benefits and pension plans they have won for its members.
The union marked its centennial in April by laying a wreath to honor the FDNY personnel who died in the line of duty since the group was founded by Firefighter Albert Guinness in 1917.
On Tuesday, at a gala at the Chelsea Piers, attendees enjoyed two videos chronicling the union’s rise with archived pictures and footage.
Over the last 100 years, nearly 100,000 firefighters have been members of the union. During the same period more than 1,100 firefighters and fire officers have died while serving the city.
“Through the years we’ve answered the call for citizens when they were in distress and — tragically — through the years many of our members have given their lives in these efforts,” UFA President Gerard Fitzgerald said during the gala.
“But this is what we do. This is our calling and we take great pride in it.”
“What we’ve been able to accomplish as a union, since 9/11 and since our inception 100 years ago, has been nothing short of monumental,” he said.
“The Zadroga Act, paid holidays, pension plans, compulsory insurance . . . these are just a few of the things we’ve been able to achieve. (It’s) what makes this union so great.” NEARLY TWO dozen survivors found packed in a sweltering tractor-trailer in San Antonio are no longer needed to testify against the driver accused of smuggling them across the border, authorities said Tuesday.
The U.S. attorney’s office in San Antonio said it is canceling depositions for the 22 immigrants. The decision could lead to their deportation when handed over to immigration authorities.
Survivors requested visas to stay in the United States in exchange for testifying against ringleaders of the botched human trafficking operation, including accused driver James Bradley Jr., who faces the death penalty if convicted.
Following the dismissal, the Texas court dropped the complaint against the material witnesses, who were only identified in court papers by their initials.
More than 100 people were found crammed in an 18-wheeler with a broken cooler in a Walmart parking lot in July.
Temperatures in San Antonio surpassed 100 degrees and 10 people died of dehydration and heatstroke, police said.
Bradley pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment and has denied knowledge of his human cargo. He said he learned of the immigrants when he opened the back of the trailer during a pit stop in the parking lot.
Dozens of people spilled out of the truck and scattered when Bradley opened the door.
Most the immigrants traveled to the U.S. from Mexico, but two are from Guatemala.
A spokeswoman for the Mexican Consulate in San Antonio said each of the witnesses would be examined individually by an immigration court.