United States, Mexico Must Take Aim at Human Smugglers The Victoria Advocate - Your Houston News
go to original August 1, 2012

The county line that separates Goliad County and Bee County is 869 miles north of Mexico City and 1,572 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.

This past Sunday, however, a lonely spot between Goliad and Beeville on US Highway 59 became ground zero for the issue of immigration reform between the United States and Mexico.

A pickup truck carrying 23 suspected illegal immigrants blew a tire, careened off the road, and slammed into a tree. Fifteen passengers died as a result, in what one observer called the “the worst single motor vehicle accident I’ve ever seen.”

As the injured continue to recover and first responders to the scene deal with the emotional trauma of such a horrific occurrence, questions beg to be asked.

First, what can be done about the factors that led to the desperate decisions 23 humans made to climb aboard a vehicle designed to carry a fraction of that amount in an attempt to flee circumstances in their home country?

Unfortunately, such desperation is not an isolated event. Just days after last Sunday’s tragedy, two other pickups carrying a total of 26 suspected illegal aliens were involved in a less tragic incident in Matagorda County.

We acknowledge that the illegal immigration issue is a complicated one. Economic conditions in Central and South America cause citizens to look to the U.S. as the place to better their stations in life. Narco-terrorists create a violent living environment south of the U.S. border that many feel the need to flee.

Our immigration policy often makes it difficult and time-consuming for law-abiding immigrants to enter our country in a timely manner.

It’s true that immigrants who enter our country illegally are violating the law, but can any of us say we wouldn’t do the same thing were we in their shoes? The human spirit yearns to be free; most will risk everything to better their lives and the lives of their children.

We call upon state and national leaders to address economic and criminal factors within our borders and beyond that force many to enter our country illegally. Cynics will say that the recent Mexican national elections and the upcoming U.S. presidential election prevent any meaningful progress to be made.

Last week’s tragic deaths must be viewed as the sad but powerful impetus needed to overcome any political sluggishness surrounding this issue.

The second question we must ask is this: Are we as a nation doing all that we can to strike at the heart of the human smuggling problem? We believe the ultimate responsibility for this tragedy lies with the “coyotes” and their associates who ply the illegal immigration trade.

It’s despicable that these “businessmen” treat human beings as cargo – good only for profit – and the results of this attitude are often predictably catastrophic.

Immigration reform must have at its heart a strong, shared commitment between the U.S. and Mexico to apprehend and prosecute human traffickers with vigor.

We ache for the families and friends of the people who died in this tragedy.

We suffer for the community of law enforcement and medical personnel who have been scarred as witnesses to this carnage.

We beg for resolution of the core issues that created this heartbreaking calamity.

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!