On Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the situations in the home countries of immigrants and the status of the U.S.-Mexico border for the tragic deaths of the migrants found in an abandoned semi-trailer near San Antonio, Texas.
“These unfortunate events that, of course, have to do with the situation of desperate poverty of our Central American brothers and of Mexicans,” he said during his daily briefing. “[It] happens because there is also human trafficking and lack of controls, in this case, on the border with the United States and inside the United States.”
The sentiments of the Mexican leader echoed the remarks of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who tweeted his frustrations with the Biden Administration.
At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas.
These deaths are on Biden.
They are a result of his deadly open border policies.
They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. https://t.co/8KG3iAwlEk
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 28, 2022
During an interview with Fox News, Abbott called Biden with accusations of lying about the Administration’s efforts to stop human smuggling, slamming Biden for revoking Trump-era get-tough policies.
In 2020, we had the most secure border in decades.
Now, Biden's deadly open border policies have emboldened the cartels to do exactly what happened in San Antonio.
Texas will continue to do what Biden REFUSES to do: secure our border. pic.twitter.com/AT4ejfNRu3
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 29, 2022
However, on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the border was “closed” and blamed human traffickers. At the same time, the President called the deaths “horrifying and heartbreaking” but blamed the multi-billion-dollar human trafficking industry and evaded responsibility.
According to the Epoch Times, two undocumented Mexican nationals connected to the deaths were arrested for illegal firearm possession on Tuesday. The two are without bond and face steep prison sentences and hefty $250,000 fines, according to The Hill. A third suspect, an American citizen who allegedly drove the truck, was also taken into custody but hasn’t been charged.
On Monday, calls for help were heard coming from an abandoned 18-wheeler truck trailer. When police arrived, 46 dead bodies and 16 individuals suffering from extreme heat-related illnesses were in the truck trailer. The 16, some clinging to life, were transported to area hospitals. Reports came Tuesday that the death toll had risen, as four of those transported succumbed to severe heat-related conditions.
Authorities said there were no signs of water in the truck and the National Weather Service confirmed that the temperature in San Antonio hit 103 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the incident “nothing short of a horrific human tragedy” during a press conference.
