Idealism and Reality in Human Smuggling of the Poor and Powerless

It’s normal people who are smuggled, enslaved, economic migrants, and political refugees

I was disturbed when learning of the 39 people found dead in the back of a refrigerated tractor-trailer outside London recently.

Particularly disturbing was seeing photos of provided by the family of 26-year old Vietnamese woman Pham Thi Tra My and the final texts she sent to her mother.

“I’m sorry mum, my path to abroad didn’t succeed.

Mum, I love you and Dad so much! I’m dying because I can’t breathe.”

— Pham Thi Tra My

I couldn’t help but imagine her suffering during the final moments, slowly freezing to death and suffocating while banging on the locked doors of the tractor-trailer. It’s both terrifying and sad, but it’s important to imagine and feel beyond purely intellectual thought, otherwise, she and the rest can be cast into abstractions.

The 39 people were originally thought to be exclusively Chinese nationals, but there were many Vietnamese nationals among them as well. Regardless of nationality or ethnicity, it’s a tragedy that points to…