Two Mexicans are accused in the US for the death of 51 migrants found in a trailer in Texas


Two Mexicans linked to the human smuggling incident where at least 51 died migrantsafter being trapped in a suffocating trailer found abandoned in Texas, were charged in US federal court.

The migrants deceased, 39 men and 12 women, were found on Monday on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texasin one of the deadliest human trafficking tragedies in recent history.

Two suspects identified as Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D’Luna-Méndez, both Mexican citizens, were charged with possessing firearms while residing illegally in the United States, according to court documents and US authorities.

Investigators traced the trailer record to a San Antonio address which they placed under surveillance and took the two men into separate custody when they were seen leaving the residence.

A third suspectdescribed as a US citizen who was driving the truck, was also taken into custody and is expected to be charged, but remained hospitalized as of Tuesday night, according to a Mexican official.

The trailer was parked next to some train tracks in an area where temperatures reached 39.4 degrees Celsius. The bodies were found inside the truck and on a couple of nearby streets, a local security official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Authorities said there were no visible signs of water or air conditioning inside the vehicle. Officials described the scene as “piles of bodies” and that some of the migrants were still hot to the touch.

“It’s indescribable,” said the mayor of San Antonio, Ron Nirenberga MSNBC, noting that her community relies on migrants in the face of labor shortages. “It’s an inexplicable tragedy.”

The president of United States, Joe Bidencalled the incident “gruesome and heartbreaking”.

Denouncing the multi-billion dollar human trafficking industry, Biden said “exploiting vulnerable people for profit is shameful” and said his administration is working to crack down on these networks.

ongoing investigations

At least 27 Mexicans, three Guatemalans and four Hondurans are estimated to be among those killed, according to officials from the three countries. There was no immediate information on the nationality of the other victims.

More than a dozen survivors affected by heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, were taken to area hospitals.

The trailer may have carried about 100 migrants, but the exact number remains unclear, said a security official and another from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) familiar with the investigation. .

The migrants appeared to have recently crossed the border and were picked up by the truck to be taken to a work site, said one Mexican, one CBP and one US official. All requested anonymity to discuss the matter.

Authorities were alerted to the truck through a 911 emergency call from a passerby who was asked for help by an escaped migrant, officials said.

The victims were found sprayed with a pungent substance, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. In previous incidents, human traffickers have used different substances to disguise the scent of human cargo and evade canine detection.

City Police Chief William McManus said Monday that a person working in a nearby building heard a cry for help and went out to investigate. Arriving at the scene he found the trailer doors partially open, looked inside and found several bodies.

Survivors are likely to be released in USA for them to apply for asylum or other forms of humanitarian aid, the CBP official and two other security officials told Reuters.

Survivors of other cases have been taken into the custody of the US Marshals Service to testify as witnesses.

immigration challenges

The deaths highlighted the challenge controlling migrant crossings poses for Biden, a Democrat who came into office promising to reverse some of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

Republicans have criticized Biden’s border strategy ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections.

I-35 near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor due to the sheer volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former high-level official with a U.S. investigative unit. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement who retired in December.

In July 2017, 10 migrants died after being transported in a trailer discovered by San Antonio police in a Walmart parking lot. The driver, James Matthew Bradley Jr, was later sentenced to life in prison for his role in that smuggling operation.

“It was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this happened again,” Staton said.

kg



Leave a Comment