At least 63 migrants were rescued, 13 of them minors, after being kidnapped by human traffickers in a town located in the state of Sonora on the border with the United States, Mexican authorities reported Thursday.
The group was found Thursday morning in Sonoyta, a border town where there are many safe houses that coyotes usually use to cross migrants through the desert to reach the United States, the Sonora Prosecutor's Office explained in a statement.
Members of the Prosecutor's Office, the Army, the National Guard, state police and local agents participated in the rescue operation, which was activated after the Ecuadorian consulate denounced on Tuesday that some thirty of its citizens could be kidnapped.
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In total, 63 people were located, of which 43 were from Ecuador, nine from Colombia, five from Mexico, four from Venezuela, one from Peru and another from the Dominican Republic.
Once released, they were treated by a doctor who confirmed their good health and the Sonora Prosecutor's Office offered them accompaniment.
and psychological care by the Victim Care Center (Cavid), in addition to legal guidance on their immigration status, according to the local news outlet Informador.
The investigation is carried out by the Specialized Unit to Combat Kidnapping (UECS), which is trying to identify who or who participated in the kidnapping.
So far no arrests have been made, according to the Excelsior newspaper.
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Kidnappings are common at many points along the border, from where traffickers extort their families to extract as much money as possible before crossing or leaving them to fend for themselves.
Pressure on the US-Mexico border is mounting as the end of Title 42, scheduled for May 11, approaches.
This measure implemented by the government of former President Donald Trump eliminated the right to request asylum under the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since it came into force in March 2020, more than two million migrants who arrived in the United States have been returned to Mexico hiding behind the health emergency.
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As a palliative measure for the situation at the border, the Administration of President Joe Biden announced the opening of processing centers for asylum seekers in Central and South American countries to start the procedures (or deny them) long before the migrants arrive at the gates of the United States.
But the immigration authorities warn that there is a lack of budget and space to manage the record arrival of asylum seekers as of mid-May.
The processing centers are at their maximum capacity and the Border Patrol denounces a lack of personnel.
Migrant shelters run by non-profit organizations say, for their part, that they cannot serve more people in the face of the avalanche of arrivals.