Desperation leading many immigrants to risk being smuggled into U.S., attorney says

SAN ANTONIO – The safest way into the U.S. is legally, but for many immigrants that isn’t how they end up in America.

Desperation, fear and time may fuel their need to take a dangerous journey into the U.S.

It was a desperate sight that played out this weekend at a Southwest Side Walmart, where authorities found 39 people crammed in the back of a hot tractor-trailer. Ten of the people have since died of their injuries.

"It's really complicated by the fact that your life could be in danger. You can't pay the bills. You have to pay your rent to the gangs that are making you pay for your safety,” said Lance Curtright, an immigration attorney with DeMott, McChesney, Curtright & Armendariz. “Maybe you can't even get a job and you see that your family is hungry and you make a choice that maybe wasn't the best one."

Curtright said he believes the United States' recent stance on immigration also is a factor.

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"The asylum doors are not always wide open. It's no longer the Statue of Liberty welcoming the people on the boats. Now we have people talking about walls. We have detention centers throughout the state. It's not always the most welcoming environment," Curtright said.

The legal process can also take years. Curtright said typically undocumented immigrants here in the U.S. already have family in the country or have some sort of skilled work and are looking for new opportunities.

"Sometimes the lines are 30 years long, just to get a visa through your U.S. citizen brother and then the procedural part of it the paper work filing it’s all English and it's not always easy," Curtright said.

Curtright said he doesn't see an end to these deadly decisions to try and live out the American dream, unless U.S. lawmakers push for immigration reform.

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