(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) — A makeshift altar marks the spot where multiple migrants were struck and killed by a vehicle on Sunday. People have been trickling in and paying respect.
“¡Arriba Venezuela!,” a passerby yelled.
Sofía Nuñez, who lives right around the corner, was fighting back tears as she lit the candles in honor of the victims. With each candle that she lifted she whispered a little prayer.
The bus stop where the migrants were waiting is non-descript. Signs marks it as an area where migrants gather were difficult to see in the dark. But it’s known to the locals, including Sofía, as a place where migrants who’ve been processed by CBP go to wait for buses that will take them to their next destination.
With Title 42 expected to expire this week, border towns will likely see bigger groups at similar bus stops throughout the southern border.
“They had plans to see their families and look what happened … dead in the street,” Sofía told me in Spanish.
Sofía was a nurse for 35 years in Matamoros, one of the most violent towns just south of the border, but she says she has never seen as much carnage as she saw today.
She walked to the end of the block and pointed at the spot in the middle of the road where she saw a man’s lifeless body just hours before.
It’s common for migrants to gather in the area and they sometimes knock on her door asking for help. She has happily given them food, water, and directions.
“This is a sanctuary city, this is not supposed to happen here,” she said.
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