SAN ANTONIO – Karen Caballero, a Honduran mother mourning the loss of her two sons and daughter-in-law, had plans to be in San Antonio this weekend. She was petitioned and sponsored by local artist SandraGrace Martínez and a local order of nuns to attend their Day of the Dead celebration in honor of the 53 migrants found on Quintana Road in late June.
Martínez, with the help of other community members, created an altar set up in the front yard of Casa Azul at the corner of Buena Vista and Las Moras streets.
This Thursday will mark four months since Caballero’s 19-year-old son, Fernando José Redondo Caballero; 22-year-old son, Alejandro Miguel Andino Caballero; and Andino’s 24-year-old fiancee, Margie Tamara Paz, took their last breath.
Along with 50 other migrants, they succumbed to the Texas summer heat inside an 18-wheeler with no air conditioner. The Texas smuggling case is the deadliest one in U.S. history.
Caballero gave an interview to KSAT 12 from her home in Honduras. In Spanish she said:
“Además de estar cumpliendo cuatro meses de haber fallecido, ellos están cumpliendo diez años de ser novios y esa es otra de las cosas que quería conmemorar.”
English translation: In addition to Thursday marking four months since their death, Alejandro and Paz would have celebrated ten years together. That’s another aspect I wanted to commemorate.
Caballero had plans to come to San Antonio this weekend before finding out her visa was revoked.
According to a document Caballero received, her denial under the Immigration and Nationality Act Section 214(B) was due to insufficient proof of strong enough ties to return to Honduras at the end of her temporary stay in the U.S. However, Caballero insists that is not the case.
“Tengo a mis papás en Honduras que están enfermos y quién los cuida soy yo,” Caballero said.
English translation: My parents live in Honduras and are sick. I’m the one that cares for them.
According to Caballero, she also has her business to run.
She plans to apply again as, according to the Department of State’s Bureau Of Consular Affairs website, “Some ineligibilities can be overcome in certain immigrant visa cases.”