SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Catholic Charities is taking the lead in helping the survivors of the tractor trailer tragedy rebuild their lives said Antonio Fernandez, the president and CEO.
He and the archbishop were able to see two of the survivors last night in the hospital. He said one was a man who was sleeping when they arrived. They prayed by him. Another was a young woman. They were not sure they would be able to communicate with either of the survivors. Then this happened with the young woman when the prayer ended:
“This young lady opened her eyes. When she opened her eyes, we were able to communicate with her a little bit and she responded with her head. So I actually believe she was actually listening to us and I wonder if the young man was listening to us, too,” said Fernandez.
Catholic Charities asking for your help not with money, but prayers for both those in the hospital and those who lost loved ones.
“I think this is the most important thing,” Fernandez said. “Every time that we ask San Antonio for help with migrants with food, with clothing, the city always, always gives back to us. I think in this moment it’s not about the money. It’s not about clothes or anything like that. It’s about praying for these families.”
Catholic Charities is on standby to help survivors once they are released from the hospital. That includes housing, food, clothing and emergency assistance. Plus, the organization will help with transportation should family members want to be with their loved ones.
We reached out to the Mexican, Honduran and Guatemalan consulates to find how they are assisting survivors. We only back from the Guatemalan Consulate. It said it is sending staff to San Antonio to the hospitals to help determine their identities. It issued this statement:
June 27, 2022
On behalf of the Ministry of External Affairs, we lament the finding of dozens of deceased migrants found in the interior of a trailer abandoned in San Antonio, Texas in the United States of America, as well as several injured survivors, minors among them, and we are in solidarity with those affected and their families as well.
We will continue following up with the developing investigation of authorities, to determine as soon as possible their identities and nationalities of the victims and the injured.
At this moment employees of the southern Consulate of Guatemala in the United States of America will transfer to San Antonio to visit the four hospitals where 12 survivors and a minor are located/staying.
On behalf of the Guatemalan Consulate in McAllen the following numbers are available.
In case of an emergency, they can dial from Guatemala the 1541 which belongs to General Office of Consular Affairs and Migrants del Minex.
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Guatemala, 27 de junio de 2022. El Gobierno de Guatemala, por medio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Minex), lamenta el hallazgo de decenas de migrantes fallecidos en el interior de un camión abandonado en San Antonio, Texas, Estados Unidos de América, así como varios sobrevivientes heridos, entre ellos menores de edad, y se solidariza con los afectados y sus familiares.
Asimismo, informa que, se brinda seguimiento al desarrollo de la investigación de las autoridades para determinar, en cuanto antes, la identidad y la nacionalidad de las víctimas y los lesionados.
En estos momentos, funcionarios de la Red Consular de Guatemala en el sur de EE. UU. se trasladan a la ciudad de San Antonio para visitar cuatro hospitales donde se encuentran 12 personas heridas y cuatro menores de edad, a fin de determinar su identidad.
Por medio del Consulado de Guatemala en McAllen están disponibles los números telefónicos (956) 900 2736 y (956) 800 7351 y (956) 429 3413. También se puede llamar, en Guatemala, al número de emergencia 1541 de la Dirección General de Asuntos Consulares y Migratorios del Minex.