As was usual, Salvadoran immigrant Miguel Luna left his home on Monday, March 25, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. to perform his daily duty of repairing potholes in streets and highways. This time, however, he was not coming home. Early the morning, he had to work on the traffic lanes of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
This 19-year resident of Maryland and father of three never could have imagined the tragedy that would befall him.
The bridge, part of Maryland's Interstate 695 freeway, collapsed at 1:30 a.m. on March 26, when the 900-foot cargo ship “Dali” suddenly lost power and collided with one of the bridge pillars.
“Please, I want my husband to come home,” were the words his wife sent to the press the same day the bridge fell. Miguel is presumed dead, although his remains have not been found and his loved ones do not even have a body over which to pray, weep, and say their last goodbyes.
On the same bridge, at the time of the collision, Honduran native Maynor Suazo Sandoval was working in construction. After 17 years of sacrifices in the United States, he continued working hard, although he had a dream of opening a small business in Baltimore.
His brother says Maynor was a person with a talent for everything related to machines. “He was always full of joy and brought a lot of humor to our family,” he said in a statement from CASA, a community organization which provides services to immigrants.
Maynor's birthday was April 27, and his family was preparing to celebrate a happy event. Now joy has turned to mourning for the widow and her two children. Authorities have not found his body either.
Miguel and Maynor's family members cannot close the chapter and are still waiting for their remains. It is very difficult for them to overcome their grief and to talk to the press. Currently, they are coordinating details for holding a religious service to honor and show respect for their memory.
In addition to these two CASA members, four other workers also died in the bridge collapse: Dorlian Cabrera, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Jose Mynor Lopez, and a man not yet identified. Only two bodies have been recovered. Two lucky workers managed to survive. One of them was hospitalized, but has since been sent home.
During the tragedy several cars plunged into the Patapsco River. Fortunately, everyone on the boat are safe and unharmed.
Several hours after the collapse, a Mass was offered in memory of the deceased and in support of survivors. More than 200 people attended the liturgy at Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. Another Mass was held on the day of the tragedy at Our Lady of Good Counsel parish to pray for all those affected by the tragedy.
Construction workers gathered on Good Friday in an activity organized by CASA to offer condolences to those affected, to talk about their work and the risk involved, as well as to pray and give testimony. Six hard hats were placed in a circle in memory of the deceased.
The bridge was built between 1972 and 1977 at a cost of $60 million. It had four lanes, was 1.6 miles long and carried more than 30,000 vehicles per day and 11.3 million vehicles per year.
The dead and injured workers came to the United States from Mexico and Central America. In the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas there are approximately 334,300 construction workers. Immigrants make up 39 percent of the workforce in this essential industry, with the majority of these 130,000 workers being undocumented migrants or TPS holders. Only 27 percent are U.S. citizens.
In Washington and Baltimore, 37 percent of migrant construction workers are from El Salvador, 12 percent from Guatemala, 11 percent from Honduras and 11 percent from Mexico. Salvadorans and Hondurans who arrived decades ago have TPS, but those who arrived in the last decade, Guatemalans and Mexicans do not have temporary protected status.
“Hatred against immigrants is so widespread that it is easy to forget the work that Hispanics, including undocumented migrants, do because it is invisible. They work late at night, in the dark, in the cold, and in the rain fixing holes on the bridge lanes so that we who work during the day have a more comfortable life,” said Jossie Flor Sapunar, a CASA spokesperson. “The dream, the hope is that these losses are not in vain.”
“We are requesting the Biden Administration to remember these people who do invisible work and decide to do something about it, like granting work permits to as many immigrant workers as possible, especially those who have been in the U.S. for years and do essential work. This way they can have insurance, paid sick days, and other benefits,” Sapunar said.
“The families are distraught, mourning the loss of their loved ones. They had a dream of a better future for themselves and their families. This led them to make the courageous decision to travel to this country in search of a better future. We see the story of Maynor and Miguel, who built bridges to connect communities, not walls to divide them. Today, and always we will honor them and the sacrifices they made,” CASA said in a March 27 statement.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the U.S. economy will grow another $7 trillion over the next ten years in part because of immigration. Immigrants support communities, are consumers and taxpayers themselves, pay $525 billion in taxes - money that helps support schools and welfare programs.
“They are essential workers who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They should be protected by the full extent of this country’s immigration policies,” said CASA, an agency with a membership of 155,000+ working-class members, including Hispanics and other immigrants in 46 states.
In an April 2 letter to President Biden, American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) business leaders stated, “What happened on the bridge is a tragic illustration of the vulnerabilities of immigrant workers.... Many workers in our industry have been here contributing to our economy for 5, 10, even 20 years deprived of legal status. By extending work permits to them, the honorable work of the deceased will be honored.
ABIC is a bipartisan organization encompassing more than 1,200 business owners, CEOs, executives, and trade associations from 17 states.
The bridge and waterway will remain closed for some time, affecting jobs and livelihoods in communities which are already struggling and underserved, according to Maryland Nonprofits and Maryland Latinos Unidos.
A significant increase in demand for support services, such as emotional counseling, financial, food & energy, employment assistance, job placement programs, emergency assistance and relief services, assistance for immigrant communities, and many other services or resources those affected need is anticipated.
“Given the magnitude of the needs and the possibility that our resources may be depleted, collaboration among nonprofits is now more important than ever,” said Heather Iliff, President and CEO of Maryland Nonprofits on March 29.
Support from other organizations, community groups, and faith communities is being sought to develop a list of available resources, services, and assistance programs that can be mobilized to help those affected by the bridge collapse.
The Baltimore Civic Fund, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, has established a portal for donations to the families of victims and survivors: https://www.baltimorecivicfund.org/key-bridge-response-fund. Donations can also be made at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/265-mima-keybridgeemergencyresponse.
To help families affected by this tragedy, visit https://wearecasa.org/updates/baltimore-bridge-collapse-catastrophe/
It is worth mentioning that a large part of the team that will rebuild the bridge will be made up of Hispanic labor.
