Memorial honors victims of deadly human smuggling incident

A memorial to honor the 53 lives lost in what officials have called the deadliest human smuggling incident on U.S. soil will soon be complete.

The completion of the memorial comes nearly two years to the day after the tragedy that claimed the lives of 53 migrants found abandoned in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio.

In the days following the deadly incident, residents erected a temporary memorial with 53 crosses to pay respect to the deceased. Those crosses have stood for two years now – thanks to the help of community members – and will remain next to the site of the permanent memorial on Quintana Road.

Adriana Rocha Garcia, District 4 city councilwoman, said a plaque with the names and countries of origin of the 53 individuals will be located at the permanent memorial. Additionally, the memorial will consist of 53 slabs of limestone – one for each life lost in the tragedy – with the heights of the stones in inches corresponding to the age of each victim.

Rocha Garcia said the crime hit close to home for many of the city’s residents. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 64.7% of San Antonio’s population is Hispanic or Latino.

“A lot of our community members have had experiences themselves or family members that kind of took the same journey to get to the United States. Or they know someone who did,” she told Land Line following the deadly incident. “And so it’s very impactful because immediately they think, ‘That could have been me’ or ‘That could be a family member.’”

Officials expect the memorial to be complete on Saturday, June 29.

Officials with Homeland Security have called the case the most deadly human smuggling incident on U.S. soil.

In July 2022, a federal indictment charged 46-year-old Homero Zamorano Jr. of Pasadena, Texas, and 28-year-old Christian Martinez of Palestine, Texas, with multiple counts connected to the alleged smuggling case. This past September, Martinez pleaded guilty to four charges.

In June 2023, federal investigators charged four additional suspects in connection to the deadly incident. The indictment accused the four individuals of planning “the retrieval of an empty tractor-trailer and its corresponding handoff” to the alleged driver.

According to police, the individuals were inside the trailer with no working A/C or water as temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees outside. LL