human smuggling case in modern US history. At least 51 people died
after they were trapped in a sweltering tractor trailer abandoned
on the outskirts of San Antonio. Authorities are still working to
identify the victims. Stephanie Sai has more
It was a worker in the area who heard the Christ for help and found
that tractor trailer doors partially open and inside, people piled
on top of each other.
Bodies were also found strewn along the road near the scene.
More than a dozen other victims, including several Children were
taken to the hospital patients that we saw were hot to the touch.
They were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, Uh, no signs
of water in the vehicle that was a refrigerated tractor trailer.
But there was no visible working A C unit on that rig. The Heat index
was more than 100 degrees in San Antonio on Monday afternoon.
Authorities believe human traffickers were transporting the migrants.
Among the victims were 22 citizens of Mexico, seven from Guatemala
and two from Honduras. President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
commented on the tragedy. It just unfortunate events have to do with
the situation of poverty and desperation of our Central American
and Mexican brothers and sisters.
It happens because there's also a human trafficking and lack of controls
at the border between Mexico and the United States and inside the
United States. Recent months have seen a record high number of attempted
crossings from Mexico.
In May alone, U S Customs and Border Patrol agents encountered more
than 230,000 migrants making multiple border crossing attempts. Even
as a covid public health order remains in place, essentially banning
migrants. Biden administration has attempted to lift the title 42
restrictions, but a federal judge blocked its repeal. San Antonio
Mayor Ron Nurenberg called for compassion.
So the plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian
crisis. But tonight we are dealing with a horrific human tragedy.
Customs enforcement has detained three people believed to be part
of the smuggling conspiracy.
For more in the context in which these migrant deaths occur. Let's
turn to Aaron Raichlen Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration
Council. Erin Thank you for joining the news hour. You know, anyone
who has been in the southwest in the summer knows the heat can be
deadly.
And being inside an unerring condition. Tractor trailer truck. It's
just hard to imagine how high the temperatures got in there.
Why would anyone take that risk much less with Children?
It's truly a horrific outcome, and unfortunately, the reality is
that many migrants are taking this risk because they feel that there
is no other way for them to get into the United States.
Even the Children, many of whom are trying to join family members
in the United States, find that they really have no other options
in order to come to this country, and so smugglers convinced them
to take roots that are inherently dangerous. This has happened before
we see it again this year. Apparently 290 migrants have already died
trying to cross the southern border. Just in the first six months
of this year, Erin
Um And as we just reported, officials are reporting a record number
of attempted crossings at the southern border since May. So the main
trump era policies that were meant to deter migration during the
pandemic there still in place despite the Biden administration trying
to get rid of them.
The conditions are pretty much the same. How do those policies contribute
to people continuing to try to cross this way?
Well, really, What we've seen is that title 40 to the Trump era pandemic
health restriction is still in place, and for individuals who are
from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Nearly all of those
migrants, especially those who are single adults, who are caught
crossing the border, are rapidly expelled back to Mexico.
And that leads people to attempt to cross over and over and over
again trying to get through without being detected.
Unfortunately, every time a person crosses the border like that they're
rolling. A die in there taking a chance that tragedy might occur,
and unfortunately, what we saw yesterday is one of the worst tragedies
of its kind.
Um, And a federal judge, of course, has blocked the binary administration's
ability to repeal title 42 for now. But you also have Texas governor
Greg Abbott, who is, of course, up for reelection in November and
a Republican. He's blaming President Biden, saying the deaths are
a result of open border policies and a refusal to enforce the law.
Of course, you have Democrats on the other side, saying it's because
of Trump's
Closed border policies. Erin, How do we make sense of all of this?
No person gets in a crowded truck and puts their life at risk if
the border is open.
The reality is that for the migrants who are in that truck, there
was no way for them to come into the United States legally, even
if they were attempting to seek asylum. Since March of 2020, the
ports of entry have been shut to asylum seekers and for migrants
from Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries.
There really is no way right now to access the asylum process or
indeed to migrate legally.
The reality is the vast majority of people who have come to our border
and seek a better life have no legal ways to enter. And over the
last 30 years, we have made the border harder and harder to cross
in the safe locations, which has driven people into more and more
dangerous routes.
2021 was dead
on record at the border in 2022 is going to be even worse. And so
you have people like Abbott's gubernatorial opponent, former Congressman
Bedroll Rourke, saying that there should be more avenues open for
legal migration. Erin Given the scope of this tragedy more more than
50 people dead.
Do you see this coming up again? For debate in Washington. More pathways
for asylum, More pathways for legal immigration. Do you see the Biden
administration prioritizing that more?
The binding ministrations has said that it wants to expand pathways
for legal migration and to address the root causes that are the reasons
why people are leaving their homes in the first place. But we're
in a congressional impasse right now, even though the American public
by a fairly large majority supports increased access to migration.
Unfortunately, all of this is caught up in the politics right now,
and you have one party that has become very anti immigration. And
as we saw with former President Trump, even legal immigration was
under attack.
But when you cut off all avenues for legal migration, you are forcing
people into more and more dangerous routes and the chances of a tragedy
occurring go up.
Erin Raichlen Melnyk with the American Immigration Council. Thank
you for joining the news hour. Thank you for having me.