The deadliest migrant tragedy must lead to humane immigrant policies in USA

Satyen Mohapatra The whole issue of people migrating from one country to another looking for a  better life has tragically come into focus with 46 persons found dead on Monday, jammed into the back of a truck in one of the deadliest migrant tragedies in recent decades.
They were being smuggled into the US near the Mexican border and the vehicle was located in San Antonio, Texas. Sixteen others including four children, in a state of heat stroke with dehydration and exhaustion, were admitted to hospitals. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the incident “a horrific human tragedy.” This case must sound off alarm bells in the minds of US administrators that immigration cannot be treated as a political issue as it has a huge human dimension. Whatever may be the political and socio-economic pressures of a country particularly a country like the US which takes pride in its just and fair system cannot leave its illegal immigrants to die.
Who were those who are responsible for this huge human tragedy? The Federal authorities who have already taken up the case must find them and the earliest and hold them accountable.
Clearly, in this case, in fear and desperation, some of the illegal immigrants had pried open the back of the truck and come out and called for help which led to the discovery of the bodies but also saved the lives of others who were hospitalized.
But imagine the horrible dark death the immigrants had been led to in the dark dingy back of the steel walls of the truck with temperatures soaring to 100 degrees. This was nothing short of a “hell hole” into which the human smugglers had put these pitiable people.