Texas woman honors 53 migrants who died in a human smuggling attempt nearly two years later

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KVIA) -- It has been nearly two years since the deadliest human smuggling event in U.S. history took place. Now, the 53 migrants who were found dead in a semi-truck are being remembered.

Angie Olivera is a Texas woman who visits the site where the bodies were found in San Antonio nearly every day. She maintains the memorial for them by picking up trash, adding new flowers, and honoring whatever other request she can.

"These are lost souls that are still here. We just need to remind ourselves as to what these people went through," Olivera said.

On June 27, 2022 migrants were found in a semi-truck on Quintana Road without any access to food or air-conditioning. Mostly all of them were already dead when they were found.

"We have a very detailed significance in that we're also placing rocks of different sizes because we know that it was different ages of the people who lost their lives," said Olivera.

A permanent memorial will be unveiled later this month.