It was a sad reminder: a Mexican funeral home was demanding payment from a Nicaraguan family for their services for keeping the bodies of two babies in their morgue. One of them three years old and the other three months.
Both drowned when their mother and father tried to cross a river to enter the United States illegally, in the area known as Eagle Pass, Texas, on August 22, 2022.
The bodies were transferred from Texas to La Paz Funeral Home, in Mexico, on February 8, 2023 and until June 28, the bodies were still there, awaiting payment to be repatriated to Nicaragua.
The organization Texas Nicaraguan Community, dedicated to the guidance of Nicaraguan migrants, delicately published the case and called on the family to close the cycle of the tragedy by honoring the debt and taking the bodies of the babies home. The funeral company later confirmed the payment for their services and processed the repatriation of the corpses.
Faced with tragedy along the way
The case, although sad due to the reality of the facts, served as an example of a suggestion that the migrant organization had made on its Facebook page: recommend that migrants take out body repatriation insurance.
«We are going to touch on today’s topic and it is how to prepare ourselves for any eventuality. We are already in the USA, we work and help our families in Nicaragua. Let’s ask ourselves this question: What would happen if something happened to me? How would my family solve the problem of my departure?»the organization wondered.
«It is not that we think about death, but in the natural process of life there is birth and death and we must be prepared. When we are born our parents get ready, they buy clothes for the baby, her crib and bottles, etc. Just like it should be our acceptance that one day we can leave and we must be prepared. What I can do?»Texas Nicaraguan Community was questioned.
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His Facebook page reports cases of Nicaraguans killed in the United States and usually the bad news is accompanied by another: his family asks for help to repatriate the bodies.
They investigated and discovered that financial entities such as Banco Lafise, Seguros América, the Nicaraguan Insurance Institute, Fama and some funeral homes offer services of this type.
How does it work?
We spoke with an insurance broker and a funeral sales agent. In the case of the insurance salesperson, she explained, on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to give public information, that the service is life insurance and funeral support.
According to the investigations, the fees range from 75 to 150 dollars a year, with payments starting at 7 dollars a month, depending on the services contracted. «The life insurance service and transfer expenses are offered in case the insured dies outside the country. In this case, the death clauses and the amounts to be delivered to the beneficiary family are stipulated.»said.
Transfer of deceased Nicaraguans abroad, by air. Funeral homes recommend purchasing body repatriation insurance.
He explained that the exclusive insurance for the repatriation of bodies and funeral services are also sold separately from life insurance, but that it is advisable to combine a policy for both services. Similarly, a funeral services vendor in Managua explained that there are plans to repatriate the body or ashes in case the family or the insurance buyer want to speed up the transfers.
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«Everything is stipulated in the contract. The family can request the services of funeral homes abroad, either cremating the body or bringing it in the box, and the expenses are reimbursed against the invoice or a disbursement is authorized according to the contract rules»said.
In addition, he explained, a space is ensured in the cemetery for the remains and the extra funeral services contemplated in the contracted plan. «The insured can start procedures in Nicaragua before leaving and leave a proxy or beneficiary paying and managing the services in the country»he explained.
More than 600,000 Nicaraguans have left the country between 2018 and 2022 in search of new life options in other countries. It is estimated that more than 300 Nicaraguans have died of various causes abroad.
The most common causes of death reported by the Texas Nicaraguan Community are workplace accidents, traffic accidents, heart attacks or strokes, violent deaths or illnesses, and lastly, suicides.
By: United Voices.
