[July 8, 2022] Response to San Antonio Trailer Incident

[New York, NY] Although more than a week has passed since the tragic trailer incident in San Antonio, Texas, people across the United States continue to mourn for the migrants that lost their lives during the event. According to recent reports released by news networks, the San Antonio police department has found the bodies of 53 deceased individuals within the back of a tractor-trailer that was discovered on a remote highway on June 27th. All of those that passed away at the scene were undocumented migrants that hoped to obtain safety and protection in the United States. Despite placing themselves at the mercy of smugglers and undergoing perilous journeys in hopes of a better life, the lives of these migrants ended in the back of a hot, abandoned truck. Human smuggling operations like this are common among the United States’ southern border, the stunning loss of life during this particular incident has earned it the name of the “most deadliest human trafficking tragedy” in the history of the country.

“This speaks to the desperation of migrants who would put their lives in the hands of callous human smugglers who show no regard for human life,” said Chris Magnusm, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner. “We will be working with our federal, state, and local partners to assist in every way possible with this investigation.”

Not the ONLY Human Smuggling Incident in San Antonio?

While the San Antonio trailer incident might be the most tragic human trafficking tragedy in the United States’ history, similar smuggling operations are common across the borders of the country. San Antonio itself has faced numerous smuggling issues over the years; in 2017, San Antino police discovered 39 undocumented immigrants inside the back of a hot tractor-trailer at a local Walmart, while in 2003, 19 more were found dead in the city of Victoria after suffocating in an airless truck. And it's not just smuggling operations- four days ago, three San Antonio residents were found guilty of transporting, harboring, and trafficking illegal immigrants across the Greater San Antonio Area.

Although the current Biden Administration has vowed to do whatever in their power to stop the exploitation of ‘vulnerable citizens’ across the United States, religious and political officials from around the country find it hard to believe such statements due to the recent 2022 San Antonio trailer incident. As Gustavo Garcia-Siller, the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Antonio, expresses, “Once again, the lack of courage to deal with immigration reform is killing and destroying lives. We do not learn.” 

We will continue to fight for human rights for all regards of which side of the border you were born in.

In Solidarity 

Families for Freedom