US and Mexico React to 53 Migrant Deaths in Texas

The deaths of at least 53 migrants found in a hot tractor-trailer near San Antonio, Texas prompted reactions from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Three men connected to the tractor-trailer were arrested by U.S. officials on Tuesday. The dead included 39 men and 14 women, officials said, reportedly including 5 children. Officials said the survivors were “hot to the touch” and suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion; like many parts of the U.S. and Mexico, Texas has experienced intense heat waves and drought this year. 

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the deaths “a horrific human tragedy.” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the “tremendous tragedy” on poverty, desperation and a “lack of control” at the U.S.-Mexico border, which has seen record numbers of asylum seekers and illegal crossings. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the deaths were “on Biden,” arguing that “They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.” Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the deaths could be a “Uvalde moment” to inspire an immigration reform deal. 

Voices across the spectrum discussed U.S. immigration policy on Wednesday. Coverage and voices from the right often blamed President Joe Biden for the deaths and framed Latin American leaders as blaming Biden. Coverage from the left pushed back on Abbott’s arguments and focused on the “risks” migrants face.