Brownsville | Texas: “I don’t have a leg, my dreams are broken”: Venezuelan Gabriel Gallardo recounts his drama after escaping a hit-and-run in the US | Jorge Alvarez | the world

Jorge AlvarezA man with a criminal record was charged Monday with culpable homicide after he plowed his truck into a crowd in Brownsville, Texas, on the border with Mexico, killing eight people, including several Venezuelan immigrants.

Alvarez34 years old, On Sunday, his car ran a red light and lost controlBrownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda explained that the bus ran into a group of people waiting at the bus stop in front of an immigrant reception center.

WATCH: Police identify driver who ran over Venezuelan in Texas as Jorge Alvarez, charge him with involuntary manslaughter

At least eight people died in the incident, all of them men, and 10 others were injured, some critically, the official said.

Gabriel Gallardo He was one of the 10 injured migrants. From his hospital bed, Venezuela spoke exclusively Telemundo News.

He said he was a migrant Venezuela In order to give her children a better future, she was released from a temporary detention center and lost one of her legs when she ran away.

“I came to give my children a better future and now it turns out I have no legs. My dreams are broken, they’re gone.” he lamented.

from VenezuelaHis wife with two children He asked President Joe Biden for help so they could go to America and be together with Gallardo.

Police Chief Sauceda indicated that authorities are still waiting for a toxicology report AlvarezAnd they have not ruled out any motive for the incident.

“Jorge Alvarez is a Brownsville resident with an extensive rap sheet” He said while displaying a list of charges against the arrested person including assault, robbery and drunken driving.

WATCH: What’s known about mass attack in Brownsville, Texas that killed 8 Venezuelan immigrants

Authorities initially treated the incident as accidental, although a witness told AFP the driver allegedly insulted the group before speeding off.

Many of the dead were migrants and they were working with the authorities Border Patrol To verify your income for the United States.

After the accident, the driver tried to flee But according to Sauceda, he was detained by bystanders until the police arrived.

Except for the eight counts of manslaughter, Alvarez was charged with 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon: his vehicle.

Migration crisis

He accident It happened during the government America Prepares to lift a hygiene measure called Title 42This is due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has allowed Border Patrol agents to deport or reject migrants without even accepting their asylum applications.

The rule expires this Thursday, which officials fear will increase the number of illegal immigrants entering the southern United States.

See: Neo-Nazis and hegemonic ideologies: What to know about Mauricio Garcia, the author of the Texas shooting that killed 8

Mexico’s presidents, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and America’s Joe Biden will hold a video call on Tuesday to discuss the migration crisis, the Mexican president announced on Monday.

President Nicolás Maduro’s government “needs to delve deeper into the facts To rule out any intention of hateful and racist practices, clarify its reasons.

At his side, the bishop BrownsvilleDaniel Flores said in a statement that the dead were “male immigrants from Venezuela” and urged them to “resist the corrosive trend of devaluing the lives of migrants, the poor and the vulnerable.”

Sauceda did not provide details about the victims beyond confirming that “many” were immigrants from Venezuela. He said police are in contact with the Venezuelan government and foreign embassies regarding the victims.

“suddenly”

“It was sudden. A lady drives up in a car and tells us to get out of the way and we get out. It happened in seconds. The killer came in the car and pointed at us, insulted us, called ‘Mama’ (son of a puppy), I don’t know, I don’t understand things like that. An elderly Venezuelan who was present at the scene sustained injuries to his hand.

“He gave all the volume (speed) to the car and it passed me on one side”, He pointed to his hand.

He torque A mass meeting was held before Center OsanamA shelter for the homeless and migrants has been more active in recent weeks due to the “current influx” of people crossing the border from Mexico, a Mexican police spokesman explained Sunday. BrownsvilleMartin Sandoval.

The victims were waiting at the bus stop in a group of about 25 people. According to Victor Maldonado, Executive Director of the Welcome Center.

Maldonado, what He described a scene crawling with body parts on the streetThe group, identified as Venezuelans, ate breakfast at the facility.

Witnesses were “really shocked”Maldonado told AFP.

He Center Osanam It’s open 24 hours a day, Maldonado explained. He opined that they house migrants from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, China, Ukraine and many other countries. Venezuela.

The event comes a day after a man killed at least eight people at a shopping center in Texas, the most recent mass shooting to rock the country.