Vigil held for dozens of migrants who died in 18-wheeler
HOUSTON - A vigil was held on Tuesday evening to mourn the loss of at least 51 immigrants after an 18-wheeler was found abandoned in San Antonio on Monday.
"These are people who only had a hope to come here," said Cesar Espinosa, Executive Director of FIEL.
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Initially, 46 people were found dead. However, five more were taken to a hospital where they later died.
"If this was because of open borders, 51 people would not have chosen to get into a truck to face death," said Espinosa. "This is the result of failed policy by the Republican and Democrat parties. No one has had the guts to fix our broken immigration system."
Of those who died, authorities say 22 were from Mexico, seven from Guatemala and two from Honduras. The rest are still being identified.
Espinosa `says the likelihood that Houston was going to be a stop of the final dentition is high. He says in past incidents, there were families waiting in Houston for loved ones.
"Today, I have a question for the government, how many more?" said Marta Olvera, a community activist.
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FIEL says Olvera was instrumental in helping to catch who committed the crime in Victoria, Texas in 2003 to justice.
According to Homeland Security, the death count in Monday’s incident was the highest ever from a smuggling incident in the United States.