Mexican victims' kin threaten U.S. lawsuit

Los Angeles Daily News ^ | 05-23-2003 | A.P.

[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.

[txdoda]

So is anybody here going to get the message from W as to what he wants??>>>>>>>>>

If W is saying ANYTHING about illegal immigration, he must be saying it in spanish, because nothing is being reported
in the english news.....

I do remember "Ari" being questioned about W thoughts on all the illegals....."The president believes all US laws should be enforced."

I'm still waiting.......

[txdoda]

It is about time the United States established English as the national language, if only to keep state and local governments from going broke over the ever escalating translation costs.>>>>>>>>>>

LONG PAST DUE........

Now the feds are adding to the city/states COSTS everytime
HSD raises the level to *orange*, as it seems most cities
haven't recieved any fed funds for added security.

[Brownie74]

But President Bush chose to continue Clinton's pandering to non- English speaking minorities.

PANDERING being the key word. Thats bottom line.

[maxwell]

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[n English-speaking] country of (millions) of Hispanics doesn't speak a word of Spanish?" he asked.

First of all, this, as are most losses of human life, was a tragedy.

Secondly, there is something seriously wrong with the above quote...

[maxwell]

people that sue car makers for accidents caused by DWIs

You're freaking kidding, right??? Not that it really matters, but was this the drunk person or the person s/he hit?

[maxwell]

The guy who took the cash to smuggle these dead criminals into the US is another guy they might want to sue. Apparantly, he failed to provide the "first class accomodations with specially prepared gourmet meals and attentive staff" that the brochure promised.

Heh-- I think the relatives are too smart to try to sue him. I doubt if he could fork over as much $$ as the U.S. gov't could.

[lonestar]

They will probably require the trial to be held in Spanish.

[JudgemAll]

They don't pay taxes to the US government, they cry about US hegemony, but they claim they can still use the US government to bring lawsuits about. When is this going to end? Is the GOP and AMerica the stupid party?

[FITZ]

Their relative(s) died because of foolish and illegal behavior. Go ahead and sue - make our day!

Don't be so sure they won't win their lawsuits. There is a reason so many illegals are suing every chance they get ----they are winning often times. They are winning far more than "loss of future earnings" that Americans sometimes hope to get. They're winning millions of dollars.

[skinkinthegrass]

U.S.A., the Land of Lawsuits...IMHO, ANY lawyer, who picks this case should be disbarred. They were ILLEGAL aliens...Undocumented illegal aliens...Wetbacks...the US legal system is clearly broken...in dire need of reform..."Sue the US Government", WHY?...Way, Too much of COURT TV.

[FITZ]

I can't find this in English but it's very simple Spanish if you've ever taken a Spanish class:

($25 million plus $863,000 to one injured Mexican in California that Farmers Insurance is to pay)

http://www.diario.com.mx/nota.asp?notaid=46206

Farmer Insurance fue obligado a pagar 25 millones de dólares en daños punitivos y 863 mil dólares en daños compensatorios, aunque no se definió el daño físico sufrido por el campesino.

[Tancredo Fan]

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

Because this is the United States and the language used here is English, pal.

....Salvador Villasenor said the blame for the tragedy lay solely with the United States' unfair migration policies.

These people snuck in and violated many of our laws. They committed suicide, Sal.

Want a better life? Build a better Mexico and quit stealing from your neighbors and blaming them when accidents happen.

[The South Texan]

"You're freaking kidding, right??? Not that it really matters, but was this the drunk person or the person s/he hit? "



I am not kidding. I believe there was a trial down here where somebody just won a huge settlement against Ford because her Ford Supercrew doors popped open during a rollover. The jury was presented evidence that the driver and passenger were drinking. I don't know if the driver was legal drunk, but you don't have to be legaly drunk in order for your judgement to be impaired our to at least consider this in casting some reasonable doubt in the case.

[Beck_isright]

Let them sue. Next time, the truck driver should crank it down to -20 to keep them cool:)

[judgeandjury]

"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.

1. Those people who died in the back of the locked truck were not immigrants; they were illegal aliens who were violating the immigration laws of the U.S.

2. No foreigner has the "human right" to violate the immigration laws of the U.S.