The others are not yet identified.
added on Twitter Marcelo Ebrard, who shared the information that the American authorities provided to him. We are in mourning. A huge tragedy. Mexico joins the US investigation, led by the [département américain de la Sécurité intérieure].
The open investigation will focus on suspicion of human trafficking
the Department of Homeland Security announced.
The first toll, Monday evening, was 46 dead. However, it rose to 50 on Tuesday morning. Two additional bodies were found at the scene and two people died in hospital, according to CNN. Fourteen people are still hospitalized, suffering from heatstroke and exhaustion, in particular. Four children were among those hospitalized on Monday evening, but the ages of the two people who have since died there are unknown. The assessment remains preliminary, according to the authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that three individuals suspected of being part of the human trafficking conspiracy
are detained, without specifying their involvement in this affair.
The American authorities are still trying to find out the origin and the route of the truck, in particular to find out how long the migrants were locked up there.
President Joe Biden singled out
I’m heartbroken and praying for those who are still fighting for their lives
said US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on his social media.including families, women and children– who undertake this dangerous journey.”,”text”:”Far too many lives have been lost for these individuals – including families, women and children – who undertake this dangerous journey.”}}”>Far too many lives have been lost for these individuals – including families, women and children – undertaking this dangerous journey.
US President Joe Biden, currently at the top of theOTAN in Madrid, called on Tuesday in a statement to to fight once morest the criminal trafficking, weighing several billion dollars, which exploits migrants and claims far too many innocent lives
.
« The first information is that this tragedy was caused by […] traffickers who have no regard for the lives they endanger and exploit for profit. »
But many have pointed the finger at the president and his policies of open borders
, calling him responsible for the situation. The first was Texas Governor, Republican Greg Abbott, who claimed on Twitter that the deaths were the result of Mr Biden’s refusal to enforce tougher border laws.
Human traffickers exploit our open borders and the most vulnerable pay with their lives
added the texan senator Ted Cruz.
On Tuesday, the Border Patrol Union, which represents 18,000 workers, joined in. In a series of tweets, he argued that the Biden administration and its policies constitute the biggest factor leading to criminal chaos at the border
. They must accept their responsibility
he added.
The migration crisis has been a thorn in the side of US President Joe Biden since he came to power in January 2021. He then promised to cancel certain migration policies introduced by his predecessor, Donald Trump, but has since been under the fierce criticism from Republicans and calls for action from Democrats.
An ongoing migration crisis
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday morning blamed the poverty and despair
for this drama, but also lack of control
the United States.
« This happens because there is human trafficking and a lack of control, in this case at the border, but also inside the United States. »
The migration situation is such in San Antonio that a security guard who works in a lumber yard just off the stage, Edward Reyna, told the BBC he wasn’t surprised to hear the news as he started his shift on Monday. evening.
He added that he might no longer count the number of times he had seen migrants jump from the train which passed a few meters from where the truck was found.
I knew that sooner or later something would happen. The smugglers who bring them here don’t care.
The I-35 highway, which runs very close to the stage and crosses the city of San Antonio from the Mexican border, is a popular corridor for smugglers, particularly because of the large volume of trucks that pass through it every day. , according to a former Border Services and Immigration (ICE) investigator, Jack Station.
In May, a record 239,000 undocumented migrants who crossed the border from Mexico were detained in the United States.
At least 650 migrants died last year trying to reach the United States, hoping for a better future, according to the UN.
The Mexican president confirmed that he will participate in a meeting with his American counterpart on July 12 to discuss the situation.
The President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, meanwhile pleaded for a migration safe, orderly and regulated
Tuesday morning.