Juárez maquiladora supervisor dies from coronavirus in El Paso hospital

EL PASO, Texas -- Raul Rosales, a supervisor at a Lear Corporation maquiladora in Ciudad Juárez, died in an El Paso hospital of the novel coronavirus early Tuesday, becoming the Borderland area's latest death.

El Paso had recorded nine virus deaths as of Monday night, according to health officials, while Juarez had 32 fatalities as of Tuesday morning. Rosales' death is not currently believed to be accounted for in either city's numbers.

“My father became an angel this morning,” Monica Rosales said in announcing his death to family and friends on social media.

The 57-year-old had been on a ventilator since his family had him transported by ambulance April 11 from a hospital in Juárez to El Paso in a frantic attempt to save his life. He’s a legal permanent resident of the United states. His family lives in El Paso and his daughter is a U.S. citizen.

Rosales worked at the Lear Rio Bravo plant for eight years. He told his family he was in contact with a sick employee while on the job before the plant shut down at the end of March.

As his health worsened, Rosales sent texts to his family warning the number of Covid-19 deaths in Ciudad Juárez was much higher than what the government was reporting.

He also said six other Lear supervisors and managers were at the same private Juárez hospital where he was initially treated and as many as 20 employees at the Rio Bravo manufacturing plant where he worked had died. 

Lear Corporation makes automotive seating and electrical systems and employs 24,000 people at 10 facilities in Ciudad Juárez.

The Fortune 500 company based in Michigan with $21 billion is sales has repeatedly declined to provide an exact number of employees in Ciudad Juárez who have died or been sickened by Covid-19.

The rising Covid-19 death toll in Ciudad Juárez stands at 32, according to Chihuahua state health authorities. During virtual press conferences, officials have faced repeated questions about the possible role of multinational factories in a Covid-19 outbreak. 

Many of those sickened by the virus are being treated at the Juárez Social Security hospital designated for workers in Mexico. 

“Given the overwhelming demand at the Social Security Mexican Institute, we have moved all those employees who were admitted to the government social security hospital IMSS #66, who were willing and able to be transferred, to private care facilities. Lear is covering all medical costs,” Lear said in a statement.