RantCrush Top 5: July 24, 2017

A tractor-trailer truck filled with at least 39 people was discovered outside a Walmart in San Antonio, Texas, over the weekend. At least 10 people–all adult men–were found dead. Seventeen more had life threatening injuries, and some of them are believed to have suffered serious brain damage. Officials believe they were being smuggled across the Mexico-U.S. border, and the youngest in the trailer was 15. They had no access to water, and the inside of the trailer was absolutely sweltering. Officials also believe that there were originally a lot more humans packed into the trailer–survivors put the numbers at approximately 100. The man driving the truck has been arrested.

This isn’t the first time that human smuggling across the Mexico-U.S. border has resulted in a body count. In 2003, 19 people died in a similar situation in Victoria, Texas. President Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric on immigration has raised concerns that people will be more likely to turn to drastic measures, like being smuggled across the border, as opposed to trying to enter through seemingly fruitless legal means.

The 10 dead in #Texas immigrant-smuggling case just the latest of such tragedies. A look at other cases. https://t.co/tGBiTSWoZ6

— AP Central U.S. (@APCentralRegion) July 23, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.