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Fifty-three people recentlydied horrific deathson a roadside in San Antonio, Texas. Several others were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries. They were found trapped and abandonedin a scorching hot tractor trailer.

Federal officials have said it is likely the deadliest instance of human smuggling in modern U.S. history, according to CBS News. The victims arepresumed to be migrants. Some had still yet to be identified days later.

The scene was tragic beyond words, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said. I dont understand how anyone could be so callous as to allow it [to] happen and run from the scene.

This is a painful, outrageous reminder of how our broken immigration system breaks lives.

The entire country should be outraged. And perhaps more importantly, our leaders should turn that outrage finally into action on the long stalled issue of comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.

Now is not the time for finger pointing. There is enough blame to go around. Administrations and Congresses led by both parties have failed on this issue for decades.

A recent exchange between guests on Fox News highlighted a huge part of what has been wrong in the immigration debate. Ben Domenech, publisher of the conservative web magazinethe Federalist, and Jose Aristimuno, a commentator and former Democratic spokesperson, had what could hardly be called a debate on Tuesday. They basically just talked, and shouted, over each other for a few minutes, trading plenty of blame but few actual ideas.

Nationally, weve been having a version of this unproductive conversation for years now. It doesnt have to be this way. Various attempts at comprehensive reform have come close, only to fail because of partisan pressure and campaign politics. These efforts have rightly tried to balance compassion for immigrants looking to start a new life in America (or continue that life if theyre already here) and security at the border.

In 2013, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill by a vote of 68-32. Fourteen Republicans, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, joined all Democrats to support that bill. Unfortunately, it never even received a votein the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Its a safe bet that electoral considerations heading into a midterm election in 2014 played a role in the ultimate failure, despite a clear bipartisan path forward.

In 2018, independent Maine Sen. Angus King and Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota were at the center of another bipartisan push that took a similarly balanced approach. Then-President Donald Trump helped scuttle that effort, which again recognized both the need to provide a pathway to citizenship for some people already here and bolster border security.

We dont raise these instances to lay blame for their failures in the past. We highlight them againbecause they represent the balanced approach that continues to be needed on immigration reform, and they show what can be possible when partisan politics are set aside.

The last major immigration reform package became law in 1986(though there have been some smaller updates more recently). That means our country is trying to confront a changing situation with outdated laws. It is not working, and it hasnt been working for some time.

Officials in Washington must decide that addressing this issue is more important than campaigning on it. Senators recently proved this is possible with their modest but significant breakthroughon gun legislation. Perhaps there is just the smallest sliver of hope this approach and bipartisan goodwill can carry over to the immigration debate. It is long overdue.

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A broken immigration system is breaking lives. We need comprehensive reform. - Bangor Daily News