Last Monday at least 53 migrants died in an abandoned truck near San Antonio, Texas. This tragedy was the most lethal mass death of asylum seekers in U.S. history. Several survivors were transported to local hospitals.

We in PDA and human rights advocates across the country mourn the terrible loss of life. Clearly, the blame lands directly on the inhumane immigration system in the U.S. that has festered for years under both the Trump administration and the current Biden administration.

Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers die each year in the sweltering desert heat, drowning in river crossings, and suffering horribly in locked tractor-trailer trucks.

The Trump-era border expulsions policies, Title 42, and the formerly misnamed Migrant Protection Protocols (Remain in Mexico), has forced asylum seekers—poor and desperate people—into extremely grave conditions and clear danger of death. These administrated policies under Republicans and still continuing under Democrats have shut down legal access to the border, pushing migrants into seeking more dangerous routes. For several years people have been forced to live in tent cities in Mexico under horrible and dangerous conditions until their asylum case comes up.

Fortunately—although too late for the 50 plus murdered immigrants this week—the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision Thursday, allowing Pres. Biden to end Title 42. He must do so immediately with all haste.

Responding to the horrible deaths in San Antonio and demanding an end to Title 42, Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois posted a call to action:

This is horrific, we need to end Title 42 and fix our broken immigration system, so these unimaginable tragedies stop happening. People fleeing violence and poverty deserve a chance at a better life. Que descansen en paz.

PDA agrees with Rep. Garcia: it is long overdue. Call or write the White House today and demand immediate action.

With Thursday’s SCOTUS ruling, the Biden Administration can now begin the process of ending Title 42 and the “Remain in Mexico” programs that serve as a de-facto wall to prevent people seeking legal asylum from entering our country safely.

May those who died last Monday rest in peace: Que descansen en paz.