There is no place left to die on the Texas border. The state's morgues warn that they are on the verge of collapse due to the incessant flow of immigrants who lose their lives trying to reach the United States. A drama that continues without an urgent and forceful response from the White House to put an end to it.
"I currently don't have a single space in that cooler, it's full," lamented Webb County Coroner Dr. Corinne Stern, speaking to Fox News as picked up by bizpacreview.com. In the small morgue in Laredo, where he works, more than three hundred bodies of people who tried to find a better future are crammed together. For the veteran coroner, with more than 20 years of experience, the worst thing is that "each one of those [deaths] was avoidable".
"We are in the midst of a crisis"
Stern does not doubt that, despite the Biden administration's efforts to deny it and look the other way, "it is a crisis. I have labeled it. There it is, we're in the middle of a crisis." This is not unique to the county, but something that is happening all along the border. According to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, more than 3,000 immigrants have died so far this fiscal year.
Texas Republican Representative Tony Gonzales lamented the almost daily trickle of deaths and warned that it will continue indefinitely if action is not taken. "Today it's Del Rio and Eagle Pass and El Paso. Tomorrow, it's your city, whether it's Chicago, New York, San Francisco, or Florida. This is spreading. There is no end in sight," he lamented.
In response, the Republican Party, with the launch of its "Commitment to America" program, has proposed concrete initiatives. Some of these include ending catch-and-release loopholes, requiring proof of legal status to get a job, and increasing money for infrastructure and advanced technology at the border.
"Every one of these deaths was preventable"
Gonzales supported the doctor's idea that these deaths are preventable. And he gave an example that hit close to home: "About two months ago, there were 53 migrants found cooked in the back of a trailer, that's in my district," Gonzales said. "That could have been prevented if there had been technology at the border to identify these trucks."
Technology such as autonomous watchtowers, which Gonzales referred to as "a key piece of technology that Congress should fund for the Border Patrol."
Republican Party proposal
These towers can be erected in a short time. They reach up to 33 feet high, scan the surroundings, and thanks to artificial intelligence they can detect both migrants and those who smuggle them. "All the border sectors are asking for more of these," Gonzales said. "What you don't hear too much about are the people who we know came into the country illegally, but we don't know where they went - the so-called fugitives-. These towers would help. We could identify these "escapees."
For the Republican representative, the solution is for his party to regain control of the House of Representatives. "The other thing is this - people forget - the House has the power of the purse, and it's time for the House to lead again," he said.
