‘Stacks Of Bodies’: Texas Authorities Describe Finding 50 Migrants Dead In Truck
The border crisis is a human rights issue.
Moab Republic / Shutterstock.com In San Antonio, Texas, local officials discovered a tractor-trailer near the Lackland Air Force Base that contained the bodies of at least 50 dead people who were being smuggled into the United States.
16 others were discovered by local San Antonio officials and were transported to nearby hospitals to be treated for heatstroke and dehydration.
The San Antonio border incident is a human rights tragedy that is being blamed on Joe Biden.
According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, this horrific loss of life is on President Joe Biden’s shoulders.
“These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies,” Abbott tweeted Monday night, just hours after officials discovered the bodies. “They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.”
Temperatures on Monday reached a sweltering 103F as bodies were discovered in “stacks” inside of a big rig that contained no evidence of water or refrigeration.
“We’re not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there,” San Antonio’s Fire Chief, Charles Hood, said. “None of us come to work imagining that.”
According to a local law enforcement officer, via The Texas Tribune, the truck had a refrigeration system, but it did not appear to be working.
Hood claimed that the 12 adults and four children were hot to the touch and suffered from heat exhaustion, but remained “very hopeful” that they would survive after being treated at the hospital.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus described the incident as the deadliest smuggling incident he could recall occurring in the city.
He added that he’s not confident that everyone who had been inside of the truck was accounted for, as it seemed that some folks tried to jump out and run, only to be discovered dead blocks away.
Shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, a local worker had reported that he heard a cry for help coming from the truck, prompting the investigation from local law enforcement.
After the discovery, local authorities revealed that federal officials were now heading the investigations, and had three people in custody.
McManus said that the three people were not found with the truck, but declined to comment further on their relation to the incident.
“This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at a news conference near the scene.
“Horrific. This..is..WRONG,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz tweeted. “How many more people have to die before Dems give a d--n?”
But the Democratic nominee for the gubernatorial election in Texas, Beto O’Rourke, had a different idea than just blaming the other side of the aisle.
“We need urgent action — dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our country’s needs,” O’Rourke tweeted.
The call for action will likely turn into a political talking point as the race for governor begins to heat up in Texas, but now’s not the time to use the deaths of 50 people who wanted a better life for themselves and their families as fuel for an agenda.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.