A car slammed a bus stop in Brownsville, Texas, killing eight and injuring ten. Central and South American, Haitian, and African migrants stay in the Ozanam Centre across from the bus stop. Many nameless victims are Venezuelan. The driver was arrested, but his name remains unknown. Witnesses said he insulted people outside the shelter after the crash. Community mourns.
Migrants can stroll, talk, or wait for a bus from Brownsville’s east side Ozanam Centre. After leaving Venezuela, Jhonaikil Garcia, 18, said the shelter was the most important help. He told The Guardian before returning to the sanctuary. He will cut hair in Brownsville and go to Chicago when ticket rates decrease later this week.
Brownsville authorities and non-profits are overwhelmed by migrants. Last Monday, interim mayor Nurith Galonsky Pizana declared a calamity, granting the city emergency cash and other resources to ease service demand.
At a news conference last week, Gloria Chavez, the Rio Grande Valley sector border patrol head, claimed more than 2,000 migrants crossed the border illegally every day in the region and the agency had to request help from nearby border sectors to find room to jail and process them.
Daniel Flores, the Bishop of Brownsville, spoke in Spanish during a memorial ceremony about how migrants feel pressured to cross the border. “We have to be good to one another,” he encouraged faith and goodwill. Many found comfort and hope in the ritual, while others said they’ll never forget the morning’s misery.
