As the temperature in the refrigerated trailer soared into triple digits, desperation filled the lungs of those still breathing. The refrigeration unit had been broken for a long time and the smugglers had not bothered to fix it. To fix the broken unit would have cut into their precious smuggling profits.

Amid the chaos someone managed to knock out a taillight in a futile attempt to attract the attention of passing vehicles. Finally, after several hours into the trip, the truck driver, Tyrone Williams, noticed something was wrong. He pulled into a truck stop in Victoria, TX and opened the rear of the trailer and discovered several immigrants passed out and rolling in their own vomit while others were already dead. Authorities found bodies stacked four feet high on a vomit-covered floor in the back of that semi-trailer. Bloody claw marks could be seen on the walls, doors, and floor. Fingernails were found in the splintered particleboard beyond the tattered remnants of insulation. Tyrone Williams ran away while 19 people died in the back of that trailer.

Illegal immigration is a hot button issue in the United States. Regardless of which political circles you may find yourself, the conversation of illegal immigration is sure to come up and create tension.

On the left, groups demanding amnesty are marching in the streets of Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and Denver. These groups claim that the ideals of American freedom are not restricted to those of legal citizenship but to all humans that sacrifice to make the trek north. They place pressure on Congress with the popular chant “hoy marchamos y mañana votamos.” Today we march, tomorrow we vote. A threat perceived by politicians as a dangerous voting bloc should support be lost.

Unfortunately, that very support for illegals is responsible for claiming thousands of lives. The incentive to come to the United States is so great that people, like Mr. Villaseñor, are willing to risk their lives for a taste of the American dream. Incentives like free education, in-state tuition, welfare benefits, and non-emergency medical care all have contributed to every death along the border. These deaths could have been avoided had those resources been used to improve the immigration system. Mend the fence and open the gate.

On the right, groups like the Minutemen highlight the dangers to National Security and economic instability brought about by these immigrants. Conservative talk show hosts point out the various strains illegal immigrants pose to our social programs like Medicaid/Medicare, public schools, and law enforcement. What these conservative groups need to understand is that there are two types of illegal immigrants: those wishing to improve the life of their families and those wishing to do us harm. Both types of immigrants are breaking the law by entering illegally but the threat to national security is in the smuggling rings like the MS-13 and Las Zetas, not farmers and carpenters. Unfortunately, those immigrants with seemingly honorable intentions seek out the smuggling services of the criminal elements that are so pervasive on our southern border and in doing so they become vulnerable to exploitation, crime, and death.

Here in the Brazos Valley the biggest threat we face from illegal immigration is apathy. Our lack in vigilance has created an environment that is very welcoming to those who chose to enter the United Stated illegally. Because of this apathy millions of immigrants would rather risk their lives crossing illegally than to wait in line in a consulate. They come here in search of the American Dream yet that dream will never be found as long as we continue to provide incentives for illegal behavior. For Mr. Villaseñor and his son, the dream was a carrot we dangled in front of him and now that dream will be forever silenced.