INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Campaigners have slammed United States politicians following the grisly discovery of 51 dead asylum seekers and at least a dozen others who
include 39 men and 12 women while four minors were among those needing hospital treatment for heat stroke and exhaustion.At least 27
Mexicans, three Guatemalans, and four Hondurans are believed to be among the dead, according to politicians from all three
dead.According to local and federal officials briefed on an investigation, the truck may have been carrying around 100 asylum seekers, but
the exact number remains unclear
Antonio's police chief as saying an individual working in a nearby building went outside to check after hearing a cry for help, found the
trailer door partially open, and saw bodies inside.Speaking to reporters, fire chief Charles Hood said those transferred to the hospital
were hot to touch and dehydrated while there was no water or air conditioning system found in the trailer
United States President Joe Biden have been quick to exchange blame for the deadly incident.Laura Pena, the Director of Beyond Borders
program at Texas Civil Rights Project, has accused both political leaders of being at fault and having "utterly failed" the dead
- which allows officials at the border to block the path of asylum seekers because of the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame
blame.The activist says both policies have made the circumstances more dangerous for refugees seeking to enter the United States Pena says
people to take more dangerous routes
advocating for a dignified, humane process at the border, where people are not forced to risk their lives
We saw all the resources come to bear for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, rapid humane processing at the border
But when it comes to Black and brown migrants, those same benefits are completely stripped away
They are not afforded across the board
out that "If putting your life, not just as risk, but affirmatively packing yourself into a container is a better option than remaining in a
dangerous situation in which you are currently in, it really speaks volumes of those situations,"Spokespeople for Biden and Abbott have not
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, said he had been dreading such a tragedy for months
provides legal assistance to those seeking asylum in the United States ; Miriam Camero, the organization's Vice President of social
programs, says the lives lost are a result of a "failure at all levels.""They clearly lack a moral compass and they use every opportunity to
amplify the complete wrong agenda and education for our community," she said of the politicians' response."These are not numbers, these are
not headlines, these are actually human beings that were trying to seek a better life in the United States," Camero said.According to
Camero, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services dispatched attorneys to the scene, where bodies were being
recovered and survivors sent for medical assistance, but they were unable to make contact with any of those who survived."We will not stop
until we get to access and we're able to at least show what options and resources and support these victims do have as well as their family
members," Camero declared.A memorial vigil honoring those lost in Monday's incident has also been held
Jessica Azua, a community organizer, told the crowd "I'm so tired that we have been here before, that we have done this before
shocking reminder of the human costs because of United States immigration policies, which strictly limit the number of refugees able to
law.Advocates say because of that; refugees have resorted to extremely dangerous conditions and risk their lives in the hope of making the
journey across the United States border with Mexico.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has warned that unless immigration policy
first of its kind in San Antonio
In 2017, ten people traveling by tractor-trailer died after going without water, food, or fresh air.Also in Texas last year, ten refugees
traveling by van died after crashing into a pole
In Houston, six migrants died in an SUV after being chased by police through rainy weather in 2019.Advocates have long said that those cases
are an example of the risks and dangers that refugees are being forced to take to seek asylum in the United States.
