USCCB chairman mourns for migrants involved in Texas tragedy
WASHINGTON • Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued the following statement July 24 on San Antonio law enforcement’s identification of a tractor trailer containing 39 people, including ten individuals who died due to heat exposure and asphyxiation.
Full statement:
[eltdf_dropcaps type=”normal” color=”” background_color=””]M[/eltdf_dropcaps]y brother bishops and I are heartbroken by the news coming from San Antonio regarding individuals found dead in a crowded and overheated tractor trailer. I also note our continued concern and prayers for the several other individuals identified, including school-aged children, who are reported to have life-threatening injuries. The loss of lives is tragic and avoidable. We condemn this terrible human exploitation that occurred and continues to happen in our country. In a moment such as this, we reflect upon the words of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, “The defense of human beings knows no barriers: we are all united wanting to ensure a dignified life for every man, woman and child who is forced to abandon his or her own land.”
We together mourn for the lives lost and offer our prayers for these individuals and their families.
Bishops express sympathy for trafficking victims found in San Antonio
AUSTIN • The Catholic bishops of Texas join Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, in offering their sincerest condolences to the families of the migrants who were tragically killed as human smuggling or trafficking victims from heat exhaustion and suffocation in San Antonio overnight. In addition to prayers for the repose of those souls, the bishops also offer prayers for healing for all of those who were injured in the trailer.