The list of Nicaraguans who have died in an attempt to cross into the United States rose to 20 this Thursday, May 19, 2022, when Mexican authorities recovered the body of Kevin Blass, a 26-year-old man, who in the early hours of this Monday it was dragged by the current of the Rio Bravo that divides Mexico and the United States.
The young man was originally from Managua, was engaged in trade in a market and was the father of a two-year-old boy. As he described it, his family made the decision to leave because the country’s economic situation was not improving and his section was no longer profitable.
“He told us that they would cross at two in the morning on Monday, that the river sounded furious, but it had to be that morning because it was already on time and they could not wait. He told me that he would cross with a group of seven people. He was scared because it was the last step, but he was already there, ”a friend told the Despacho 505 media outlet.
One day before the Mexican authorities recovered her body, the body of Irma Huete Iglesias, 25, was identified. She traveled to the United States with her 4-year-old daughter, Sofía, and was also swept away by the current. from the river. The tragedy occurred in the early hours of this Tuesday and so far her youngest is missing, but her relatives hope to find her alive.
Huete was originally from Quilalí, but lived in Ocotal, both municipalities of Nueva Segovia. She was dedicated to working as a domestic worker, but for some time she had not been able to find a job, so she decided to leave in search of better opportunities. Her husband had already migrated to the United States, and with her help he managed to save up for the trip.
They ask for help to repatriate the body
As explained by Irma’s family through a video released on TVNorte Ocotal, they have already managed to make a video call to identify the body with the Mexican authorities and an NGO that is providing advice. However, they ask the population to help them repatriate to bury her in her native Quilalí.
“We are in pain as a father and as a family and we believe in good-hearted people that if we are going to bring her to give her the last goodbye. At this moment I have no words to express myself, but with this pain I tell you that I have felt a hard tragedy because for the first time it is happening to me, “said the young woman’s father, Luis Alfonso Huete, who is an evangelical pastor and is visibly affected. .
The relatives explain that they know nothing about the girl’s whereabouts. And they ask the population to send any help to the Bancentro 107258204 or Banpro 10021210132380 accounts.
The death of both Nicaraguans was published on the Texas Nicaraguan Community Facebook page, which provides humanitarian support to nationals arriving in the United States and in recent months has become a bridge to find the families of those who do not They survived the crossing.
This week the body of Luis Jimenez Meneses and Louis Jimenez Urbina, father and son, originally from Granada who drowned in the Rio Grande on April 10, also arrived in Nicaragua. A last photo of them is preserved where they are seen on their way through Mexico.
Deaths of Nicaraguan migrants increase
A monitoring of CONFIDENTIAL estimates that between March 4 and May 19, 2022, at least 20 Nicaraguans have died, of these nine died in an attempt to cross the waters of the Rio Grande, mainly through the Piedras Negras area. Among the deceased are a four-year-old girl and a boy.
The number of nationals who perished could be higher, according to a count carried out by the Nicaraguan American Human Rights Alliance (Nahra), which offers legal support and social assistance to Nicaraguan migrants seeking refuge in the United States. This group reports 17 deaths in April.
Among the deceased Nicaraguans there are eight who perished in traffic accidents, two in a human stampede that broke out in an abandoned trailer and this week the death of an 18-year-old girl who died of a heart attack in Tapachula, Mexico.
40% of the deceased were from Managua, but deaths of people from Matagalpa, León, Granada, Estelí, Nueva Segovia, Nueva Guinea and Chinandega have also been reported. Likewise, 40% of these Nicaraguans were between 21 and 30 years old, had two children and a pregnant woman. Of these, seven perished in March, seven in April and six so far in May.
