The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defense recently coordinated to repatriate the bodies of 25 Mexicans who died as a result of a human smuggling accident near San Antonio in June.
The first flight will transport eight bodies and will be facilitated by the Mexican Air Force.
According to ABC News, the Mexican Air Force transported the bodies of eight dead Mexican migrants to an airport near Mexico City last week. These eight were among 53 victims of human smuggling who died of heatstroke and dehydration inside a tractor trailer outside San Antonio, Texas, on June 27. These remains are the first to be repatriated following the tragedy.
The Mexican military has planned another trip to San Antonio to obtain and repatriate eight more smuggling victims, ABC News reported. According to the wishes of the families of the dead, 25 of 26 Mexican victims will be returned over the coming weeks. The immediate families of the dead include residents of Guanajuato, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Mexico, Zacatecas, Queretaro, Morelos and Mexico City.
The Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defense released in a statement saying the Mexican government will cover all expenses to transport the bodies to their places of origin.
Reuters reported that the migrants were found dead outside San Antonio on June 27, having been trapped inside a tractor trailer truck after an illegal human smuggling operation went awry. Deprived of water and air conditioning, they died as temperatures rose to 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
Two suspects — both Mexican citizens — have been apprehended and charged in U.S. federal court, after local authorities identified them as the owners of the tractor trailer truck, according to Reuters. Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez face charges of possessing firearms while living in the U.S. illegally.
Homero Zamorano Jr. — the truck driver, who is a U.S. citizen — has also been detained and will likely be charged by federal authorities, as reported by Reuters. When confronted by San Antonio Police, Zamorano was under the influence of methamphetamine. Two different sources confirmed the suspect’s meth usage to Reuters: U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and an official from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of the investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, stated that this incident is the greatest recorded loss of human life from a human trafficking attempt within America’s borders, Reuters reported. Local police found “stacks of bodies” inside the tractor trailer, and located other bodies strewn around the nearby area. They noted that some victims were hot to the touch, likely indicating dehydration or heat stroke.
In a recent interview with the Austin Journal, Texas Public Policy Foundation Policy Scholar Selene Rodriguez said, “Human smuggling is the precursor of human trafficking. People who conspire with human smugglers to illegally enter the United States typically incur thousands of dollars of debt to make the trip. After entering the country illegally, these same people are often forced to pay off that debt through forced labor and sexual exploitation, which is the essence of the modern-day slavery that is human trafficking.”
