Residents of San Marcos Atexquilapan in Mexico, a mountain village, prayed that the three photographs of their children, Yovani, Jair and Misael, would not be among the 53 migrants who died in a Texas trailer.
Families from Mexico and Honduras have been waiting for confirmation for months. They now hope for what they once dreaded: capture by Border Patrol, hospitalization -- any other than the solemnity that has been slowly trickling out to family after family in the region.
They would at least know. Parents can reread their last messages, scan through photos, wait for a call, and then pray.
A black tarp was placed near the church to shade the many people who came each day to visit the Olivares family, the parents of the Olivares teenage brothers Yovani Olivares, and Jair Valencia Olivares, the mother and dad of Misal Olivares Monterde, the 16-year old cousin.
This is a customary covering for wakes when the family home can't accommodate all who visit to pay their respects. In this instance, it's a vigil in which residents from the town of 3,000 gather to support the family's spirits and share stories about the boys.
Teofilo Valencia was the father of Jair, a 19-year old, and Yovani, a 16-year-old. He sat down looking at his phone and reading the messages he had received.
Yovani wrote, Monday morning at 11:16 AM, "Dad," His brother sent a half-hour later to his father, stating that they were willing to work hard and provide all the necessary funds.
The semitrailer was found abandoned near railroad tracks in the city's outskirts hours later.
June 21 was the departure date for the cousins. Yolanda OlivaresRuiz, Yovani's mother, put Yovani's school card in his wallet to identify him. She also packed three sets of clothes in each backpack, as well as the phone numbers of family members in Mexico and the U.S.
Hermelinda Monterde Jamesenez spent the night with her son Misael before they left. She said, "He said to me, "Mom, wake up," and I briefly considered not doing it so he wouldn’t go." He made the decision, and he had his dream.
Their parents borrowed money using their homes as collateral and used them to pay the $10,000 smuggling fee per cousin. They paid part upfront and would pay the remainder after the boys arrived.
They wanted to save money, work and then open their own shoe and clothing shop. They worked for four years.
They were there in Laredo Texas, Texas, by Friday, June 24th.
Their parents informed them that they would be driven to Austin after the weekend, as Austin was the destination of a cousin who had traveled the same route just months before. Twenty-one residents left the town this week to go to the United States.
The trailer's fate was not known to the family until Tuesday. They tried to contact the boys but their calls and messages didn't get through. The boys went to the government that day, giving any information that might help with their search.
Mexico's consul in San Antonio confirmed Wednesday that 27 Mexican victims were killed in the Gulf state of Veracruz, which is where San Marcos is found. State lawyers visited San Antonio on Thursday to help with identifications.
The Olivares, on the other hand, wait and pray.
For Jazmin Nayarith Bueso Nunez, El Progreso (Honduras), the wait was over Thursday. They prayed for her safe return but were not granted. In San Antonio, she was confirmed to be among the dead.
Bueso Nunez was diagnosed with Lupus, an immunological disorder that cost her her job at an assembly plant. Her family stated that her treatments were extremely expensive.
A friend of her family offered to help her get to the United States. She hoped to find work that pays more to support her 15-year old son, and also to receive treatment for her illness.
The 37-year old told her father that she wanted to move before she left June 3.
Jose Santos Bueso stated that she had told him the following visit, "Dad I've come here to say goodbye." "I'm heading north."
He tried to convince her, but she was wary of the potential dangers. She said, "No, Dad. This is a special journey." "I was there, daughter," I tell her. "There are no special travels." He told her that the only exception was to fly by plane with a visa.
"The smuggler makes $15,000. She told him that he said he would take me with no worries.
She was in Laredo at the time they spoke. She informed him that the smugglers would take their phones before they went on so she wouldn’t be able communicate for a while.
Erick Josue Rod, her brother, shared the sad news that a relative from the United States had told the family the sad truth. He had been helping them to provide identification documents to the authorities.
Rodriguez stated that the economic and social conditions in his country are very, very challenging. It is why we see migrants day in and day out, month in and month out. People dream and don't have the opportunity to realize their dreams.
Sisters Yolanda and Hermelinda, from San Marcos Atexquilapan in Mexico, walked late Thursday to the church with photographs of their sons. The women carrying candles accompanied them.
The mothers sat in first row, while the priest asked the others to pray.
He said, "It's not that they are criminals." "They set out to find their daily bread."
The people of the town prayed for them: "We ask that you grant these boys the dream of a better future, that they find comfort wherever they are, Lord. These families are in pain, and they have an agonized heart.
