SoCal immigrant rights advocates blame Title 42 for trailer migrant deaths in Texas
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles-based immigrant rights advocacy group said Title 42 and anti-immigrant policies were to blame for tragedies like the one in San Antonio, Texas, where dozens of migrants were discovered dead inside a tractor-trailer during a suspected human smuggling operation.
Immigrant rights advocates at the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles, also known as CARECEN, said this was another case of people desperately seeking refuge from persecution and violence in their own countries.
Alexandra Morales is the nonprofit's Director of Policy Organizing and Advocacy.
"The right to migrate is not a death sentence, it shouldn't be, at least, and we realize that no migrant ever chooses to put their lives in a dangerous path unless they see that they have no other option," Morales said.
Investigators said a city worker made the gruesome discovery Monday afternoon, finding 46 people deceased on scene, after he heard a cry for help from the truck parked on a remote backroad in San Antonio.
The group included migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico -- four of them children.
On Wednesday, investigators announced the death toll reached 53.
"These deaths are direct consequences of restrictions to asylum and access to humanitarian support restrictions like Title 42 remains in Mexico," Morales said.
In March 2020, the Trump administration invoked Title 42, saying it was a way to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Critics said the real goal was to block migrants seeking asylum.
This past May, a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the Biden administration's move to lift Title 42.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott blamed President Joe Biden for the tragic loss, tweeting Monday, in part, "These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies."
In a statement Tuesday, President Biden said in part, "This incident underscores the need to go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants and leading to far too many innocent deaths.
"In Los Angeles two weeks ago, I announced that the United States has launched a first-of-its kind anti-smuggling campaign with our regional partners. In the first three months, we have made over 2,400 arrests, and that work will only intensify in the months ahead."
