Mass Graves of Immigrant Bodies Found in US–75 Miles from Border

HOUSTON, Texas–Unidentified illegal immigrants who died on their journey to the United States were buried in a South Texas cemetery located more than 75 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The bodies were reportedly buried in mass graves–some were put underground in trash bags, others in no bag at all. 

Some graves contained bags with only skulls, other bones, or decomposed body parts in them, according to the Caller-Times. 

The burial site, located in Falfurrias, reportedly contained bodies that had been buried as early as 2005. A pair of anthropologists and volunteer students found the cemetery and unearthed remains of more than 100 people in 2013. The Caller-Times reported, “This summer they performed 52 exhumations, but more than 52 people were buried in those spaces. Because remains were commingled, and not all of the body bags were opened on-site, further study will be needed to determine the number of people recovered.”

Funeraria del Angel Howard-Williams, a local funeral home, apparently handled the deceased and was paid $450 per body to do so by county officials. This practice has allegedly been occurring for more than 20 years in the area now.

Falfurrias is located more than 75 miles from the U.S./Mexico border–it is easy to imagine, then, that most of the buried individuals died not on the border but after they had successfully entered the country. Immigrants often suffer from dehydration or starvation on rural ranches as they travel to their destination cities–the result can be deadly. 

Currently, thousands of illegal immigrants enter the U.S. each day, and the flow of people at the border shows no signs of slowing. 

Many argue that the Obama Administration’s seemingly lax immigration rhetoric and practices are responsible for migrants putting their life at risk. Currently thousands of young Latinos are crossing the border because they believe they will get amnesty. 

“The U.S. is partly responsible for foreign nationals taking extreme measures that risk the lives of their children, Zack Taylor,  Chairman of the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers, told Breitbart Texas.

Follow Kristin Tate @KristinBTate.