233 Central American migrants found in abandoned trailer in southern Mexico

Central American migrants found in an abandoned truck in Chiapas, this Monday.SSP VERACRUZ

The Secretary of Public Security of the State of Veracruz this Monday found 233 Central American migrants crammed into an abandoned truck on a highway between Veracruz and Tabasco, in southern Mexico.

The travelers, from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize had been in a trailer immobilized for at least 12 hours on a highway in the municipality of Las Choapas, about 300 kilometers from the border between Mexico and Guatemala.

Some of the migrants, who use these routes to cross Mexico and reach the United States, showed signs of dehydration and were turned over to the National Migration Institute (INM).

Authorities have reported that the Veracruz-Tabasco Interstate Operation, which operates along the borders of both states to combat crime, has intercepted one of the latest massive human trafficking attempts from the southern border.

The Ministry of Public Security (SSP), through the State Police, has detected an abandoned trailer on the Raudales-Ocozocoautla highway, near the Chiapas border.

Upon inspection, he found 191 people of Guatemalan origin, 11 Salvadorans, 19 Hondurans, 11 Nicaraguans, and one Belizean.

Some of the migrants showed signs of dehydration after 12 hours locked in a container without ventilation, as reported by Javier Contreras, spokesman for the SSP of Veracruz.

The group received medical attention before being transferred to the INM to determine their situation in the country.

Chiapas, a state bordering Guatemala, is the territory through which migrant routes pass from Central America to the United States.

The journey, motivated by poverty and violence, is mined with obstacles and dangers for the undocumented.

The proliferation of migrant caravans and the mafias that charge to provide transportation are a reflection of the demand for ways to cross the border.

Three weeks ago, the Mexican Army found the body of 19 burned migrants in a vehicle in Tamaulipas, in the north of the country.

Some were still wearing military-style camouflage clothing and bulletproof vests.

Days later, the main suspicion was confirmed: they were Guatemalan and Salvadoran migrants, the latest victims of criminal groups that traffic in travelers and attack the vehicles of enemy gangs.

Two days ago, the National Guard intercepted a truck with 103 Central American migrants on a highway in Nuevo León, very close to the border with the United States.

The co-pilot, a woman without documentation, drew the attention of the authorities and betrayed the rest of the group.

“As they approached the box, various knocks were heard, for which they asked the driver for an inspection.

When they opened the doors, they realized that they were transferring 103 Central American citizens, who did not have the documentation to confirm their legal stay in the country, ”the security body said in a statement.

At the end of January, another 128 migrants were found in a truck traveling on a highway in Veracruz.

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