Texas mayor urges ‘compassionately’ after migrant deaths

The deaths of 50 people crossing into the US from countries south of the border on Monday prompted an outpouring of compassion from some while others seized the chance to criticize American immigration policies.

After the dead were found in a trailer abandoned in a remote area south-west of his city, San Antonio s mayor Ron Nirenberg called the discovery a horrific human tragedy. "I would urge all of you to think compassionately," he said.

The deaths were attributed to the president's immigration policies, which opened up legal pathways for immigrants that his predecessor Donald Trump had tried to close off, according to Texas governor Greg Abbott, who quickly pointed out to Joe Biden.

Abbott wrote that these deaths were on Biden. They are a result of his open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. The remark drew a sharp rebuke from Biden's press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, who said people like Abbott were playing politics at an inappropriate time.

The border is closed, according to Jean-Pierre. If the border were not closed, people would not be risking everything to sneak across, she argued.

The president of Mexico, Andr s Manuel L pez Obrador, said at least 22 people from his country were among the dead in what is thought to be one of the worst migrant disasters in the US. He said their deaths resulted from poverty and desperation, expressed condolences to the families left grieving after Monday's grim findings, and promised his government s help in repatriating their loved ones bodies.

The Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O Rourke said the nation needed to take steps to dismantle human smuggling rings. Authorities suspect that the dead from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico were being smuggled across the border by human traffickers for hire, colloquially known as coyotes.

He tweeted on Monday that we need to be able to dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration that reflect our values and meet our country's needs.

The homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, said the Biden administration had already taken some steps outlined by O Rourke, whose department leads agencies investigating the deaths in the trailer.

Mayorkas said on Twitter that human smugglers are callous people who have no regard for the vulnerable people they exploit and endanger in order to make a profit. We will work together to hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable and take action to disrupt smuggling networks. Pope Francis, whose Roman Catholic church enjoys great support in Latin America, lamented the deaths near San Antonio and 23 others on Friday at the border between Spain and Morocco.

He said on Twitter that he was saddened by the news of the deaths of the migrants in Texas and Melilla. Let us pray for these brothers and sisters who died in their hope of a better life, and for ourselves, may the Lord open our hearts so that these misfortunes never happen again.