Marvin Gomez tells ABC News that he’d initially thought to bring his children and wife along when he was planning the trek from his impoverished village in Guatemala to the United States. But he changed his mind, deciding to go alone. It was dangerous, and expensive, costing thousands upon thousands he didn’t have. But it’s a decision that perhaps saved their lives. He just didn’t know it yet.
Gomez is among the few survivors of what is now known as the single deadliest smuggling incident in U.S. history. Just 16 migrants were pulled alive from the tractor-trailer. Five died while in hospital, bringing the death toll to 53 victims. Gomez, throughout the horrific ordeal, was sure he would not emerge alive from the suffocatingly hot vehicle either.
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Warning: Graphic violence ahead. Gomez described the inhumane treatment of the victims (which included at least four minors) even before the truck was found in San Antonio, including being locked away in a basement with only bread and some water for sustenance. Smugglers also took phones away, worrying victims. But Gomez said he felt some hope when they’d reached the U.S. "I think it's something that all immigrants feel," he told ABC News. "Our dream, and I know I'm going to get there."
But few would survive beyond that feeling. Gomez said that the heat inside the vehicle soon became "unbearable.” Dozens were trapped inside the tight container, begging smugglers for their lives, only to be told to be quiet.
"We started banging at the door, and other people started banging at the door so they would let us out," he told ABC News. "The driver could hear us, and he said 'no' and told us to shut up and started insulting us. … And then people started crying." Gomez described how people around him began to die, one after the other. "I wish I could have knocked those doors down and saved their lives," he said.
Initial reporting said victims “appeared to have been sprinkled with steak seasoning, the official said, in perhaps an attempt to cover up the smell of people as the smugglers were transporting them.” At least one smuggler reportedly attempted to disguise himself as a victim before trying to flee. Since the tragedy, four people have been in arrested in connection with the deadly incident. Two may face the death penalty.
When Gomez was rescued, he said was unable to stand. Now in San Francisco with his brother, he told ABC News that he mourns the migrants who didn’t survive. "Today, they're not here anymore," he said in the report. "It's hard to explain, because one day you're talking to someone, we are on this journey together, and the next day… they're gone. And watching them die." Survival for some was simply because of where they’d been located in the tractor. The Dallas Morning News reported that Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás, a 20-year-old Guatemalan migrant, likely survived because of advice telling her to stay near the semi-truck’s doors, where it would be cooler.
Lawmakers and advocates have urged the Biden administration to protect survivors of this tragedy, by shielding them from deportation and allowing them speedy access to immigration relief available to the victims of crime.
“We also urge the Department to expedite the applications of survivors who apply for humanitarian based visas,” lawmakers wrote in their letter. “These visas are for individuals facing oppression, disasters, or other urgent circumstances, such as criminal activity, human trafficking, or individuals facing persecution while outside the United States.” ABC News reports that Gomez has filed an application seeking relief here, but it’s unclear what kind. He hopes protections can assure safety for his family, too. They remain in Guatemala.
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