Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mexican victims' kin threaten U.S. lawsuit
Los Angeles Daily News ^ | 05-23-2003 | A.P.

Posted on 05/23/2003 6:41:49 AM PDT by boris

Mexican victims' kin threaten U.S. lawsuit

By Associated Press

MEXICO CITY -- The bodies of 11 of 19 illegal migrants who died after being locked in a sweltering truck trailer in South Texas arrived in Mexico City late Thursday, as anger mounted and some victims' relatives threatened to sue the United States over the deaths.

Mexican air force personnel unloaded the white and brown metal coffins, which were wrapped in cardboard containers, from the cargo ramp of a C-130 Hercules transport plane that landed at Mexico City's international airport.

The somber arrival of bodies came as relatives of two of the victims said they had hired lawyers to sue the U.S. government for $1 million for wrongful death and policies that violated the human rights of Jose Antonio Villasenor and his 5-year-old son, Marco Antonio, who lived in a Mexico City suburb.

Both died in the trailer, which was discovered by authorities at a truck stop outside Victoria, Texas, on May 14.

"Conditions for immigrants, the humiliations and harassment against them, are massive, grave and unacceptable human-rights violations," said Jose Antonio's cousin, 33-year-old Salvador Villasenor.

Villasenor spoke to reporters outside a Mexico City chapel where family members gathered to hug one another and sing religious songs around Jose Antonio's casket, which was surrounded by white and red flowers and candles.

The tiny body of Marco Antonio was being viewed by other family members in a funeral home in another part of the Mexican capital.

Villasenor said the suit would probably be filed under the statutes of an International Labor Organization convention on workers' and immigrants' rights.

He also said the family planned to allege negligence on the part of U.S. authorities because a Texas dispatcher fielding an emergency cellular phone call from one of the trapped migrants in Spanish was unable to understand it. By the time she found someone to translate, the call had been lost.

"How is it possible that a police operator in a country of (millions) of Hispanics doesn't speak a word of Spanish?" he asked.

Earlier Thursday, a source close to the family said it was considering suing the United States and Mexico, but Salvador Villasenor said the blame for the tragedy lay solely with the United States' unfair migration policies.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: illegalimmigration
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081 next last

1 posted on 05/23/2003 6:41:49 AM PDT by boris
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: boris
Go ahead and sue. I'd love to see this hit the courts and the government be forced to tighten the borders in order to stop more lawsuits.
2 posted on 05/23/2003 6:47:51 AM PDT by Bikers4Bush
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: boris
<"Conditions for immigrants, the humiliations and harassment against them, are massive...."

Can anyone find the missing word in the above sentence? How about the word "illegal"? Whew. Let them bring on the lawsuit. That may push our representatives to be more explicit about the significance of "illegal immigration" vs "legal immigration."

3 posted on 05/23/2003 6:49:05 AM PDT by Theo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: boris
"How is it possible that a police operator in a country of (millions) of Hispanics doesn't speak a word of Spanish?" he asked.

How is is possible that someone trying to use the phone system in a country, where the vast majority speaks English, has no English? I'm sure I'd like to have the 9-1-1 operators speak everything from Arabic to Urdu conversationally but the money that could be used for that training goes to support services for illegal aliens.

4 posted on 05/23/2003 6:50:01 AM PDT by pikachu (The REAL script)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: boris
The bodies of 11 of 19 illegal migrants who died after being locked in a sweltering truck trailer in South Texas arrived in Mexico City late Thursday, as anger mounted and some victims' relatives threatened to sue the United States over the deaths.

Um, maybe I'm missing something here. They were "illegal" immigrants, and the U.S. government had nothing to do with their illegal efforts.

"Conditions for immigrants, the humiliations and harassment against them, are massive, grave and unacceptable human-rights violations," said Jose Antonio's cousin, 33-year-old Salvador Villasenor.

Oh, now they're immigrants, as in "legal".

He also said the family planned to allege negligence on the part of U.S. authorities because a Texas dispatcher fielding an emergency cellular phone call from one of the trapped migrants in Spanish was unable to understand it. By the time she found someone to translate, the call had been lost.

"How is it possible that a police operator in a country of (millions) of Hispanics doesn't speak a word of Spanish?" he asked.

Maybe because most Americans speak English? IOW, it's time to cut out the B.S., these are illegal immigrants sneaking into another country and abusing it's sovereignity. Criminy, they have NO rights because they're breaking American law sneaking in, and now it's even demanded that we protect them, speaking their language, while they're breaking our laws.

5 posted on 05/23/2003 6:52:27 AM PDT by xJones (And just when you thought things couldn't get weirder....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: boris
Which US Government entity is responsible for setting the regulations that wetback-runners are required to comply with?
6 posted on 05/23/2003 6:54:09 AM PDT by Oztrich Boy (Paging Nehemiah Scudder:The Crazy Years are peaking. America is ready for you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: boris
They don't have standing.

In actuality, we can sue them for the cost of health care, rounding them up, and prosecution.

It is against Mexican law to cross the border illegally. Did anybody know that? Hefty fines and long jail terms.

It's high time we started filing lawsuits against the family members of these illegals.
7 posted on 05/23/2003 6:55:25 AM PDT by mabelkitty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bikers4Bush
Gee - maybe if they had stayed at home and not tried to sneak into a neighboring country illegally they might be alive. Ya think?
8 posted on 05/23/2003 6:55:55 AM PDT by ImpotentRage
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ImpotentRage
Exactly. I hate these leeches and unfortunately something needs to happen to wake our federal yahoos up and deal with the border problem.
9 posted on 05/23/2003 6:59:50 AM PDT by Bikers4Bush
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: boris
It sucks that people died but dont try to sue us because your ignorant masses continue to break our laws and invade our country.

Take it as a warning!
10 posted on 05/23/2003 7:00:54 AM PDT by Enemy Of The State (Common sense is instinct, and enough of it is genius.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: boris
In this Trial Lawyer mecca I live in, they might just win this case I am sorry to say. The juries down here that are selected by trail lawyers are usaully the brainwashed by the Democrats for generations. They have been known to give out large settlements for lawbreakers such as people that sue car makers for accidents caused by DWIs.
11 posted on 05/23/2003 7:05:08 AM PDT by The South Texan (The Democrat Party and the leftist (ABCCBSNBCCCNN NYLA TIMES)media are a criminal enterprise!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: boris
"Conditions for immigrants, the humiliations and harassment against them, are massive, grave and unacceptable human-rights violations," said Jose Antonio's cousin, 33-year-old Salvador Villasenor."

Is this not the most outrageous statement you've every read? STAY THE HELL IN MEXICO!!!! I hear there's no harassment or humiliation there.

12 posted on 05/23/2003 7:05:47 AM PDT by Chi-Town Lady
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bikers4Bush
Lawsuit: Great. I agree. Let them sue, then pay them a million each, then close the borders for real.
13 posted on 05/23/2003 7:07:19 AM PDT by ampat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Bikers4Bush
Well, MAYBE if the government is made to feel "uncomfortable" something will be done about the illegal hoards. It certainly isn't taking any notice of the hospitals going belly-up, the crime, pollution, health hazards, etc., brought on by these hoards. Perhaps if the government pocketbook is threatened.... This whole issue is so upsetting I could scream.
14 posted on 05/23/2003 7:07:34 AM PDT by ImpotentRage
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: boris
unfriggin believable.

they don't have standing to sue
the dead didn't have clean hands
the US is not responsible party
15 posted on 05/23/2003 7:07:54 AM PDT by Principled
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: xJones
Um, maybe I'm missing something here. They were "illegal" immigrants, and the U.S. government had nothing to do with their illegal efforts.

But that is not exactly true. They are technically illegal but the govt does nothing to stop their efforts in fact it encourages this and the illegals know that they will be welcomed. I actually think the govt does deserve to be sued for ignoring the will of the American people and the constitution and our rule of law. I dont know about you but I dont like corpses lying around the desert.

Or we could do what some amazingly stupid people have suggested and officially tell the 3rd world that we now have open borders.

16 posted on 05/23/2003 7:08:12 AM PDT by PuNcH
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: ImpotentRage
I wonder if there are any East German engineers from the old Border Guard units who would like a job in the sunny American Southwest? After all those guys knew how to make a border fence that worked .
17 posted on 05/23/2003 7:08:55 AM PDT by Nebr FAL owner (.308 "reach out and thump someone " & .50 cal Browning "reach out & CRUSH someone")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: mabelkitty
It's high time we started filing lawsuits against the family members of these illegals.

Under what legal theory are the relatives of these criminals liable for their crimes?

If your brother robs a bank are you responsible for restitution?

18 posted on 05/23/2003 7:16:02 AM PDT by CurlyDave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: boris
Mexican air force ?
19 posted on 05/23/2003 7:16:50 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PuNcH
They are technically illegal but the govt does nothing to stop their efforts in fact it encourages this and the illegals know that they will be welcomed. I actually think the govt does deserve to be sued for ignoring the will of the American people and the constitution and our rule of law. I dont know about you but I dont like corpses lying around the desert.

I can't argue with that. The dirty little not-so-secret is that our government turns it head and allows illegals to pour across the borders, while still touting "Homeland Security".

20 posted on 05/23/2003 7:45:33 AM PDT by xJones
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson