Mexico Detains More Than 1,200 U.S.-Bound Migrants in a Single Day

Mexican authorities have intercepted more than 1,200 migrants bound for the U.S. in the past 24 hours, Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) said Thursday.

The Mexican government is trying to curb the entry of undocumented travelers seeking to enter the U.S. as pressure mounts from the U.S.

According to INM, 1,266 migrants were detained in operations carried out in 22 states in Mexico, with about 10 percent of them minors and many traveling alone.

In the last 24 hours, the INM said it had detained migrants from "different continents that were transiting irregularly," DW reported. The migration agency identified migrants from at least 33 countries, but many came from Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Others were from countries like Afghanistan, Armenia, China, Canada, Ethiopia, Ghana, Italy, Pakistan, Somalia, Russia, Switzerland, and Turkey, Reuters reported.

The INM noted that 741 of these migrants were men, 322 were women, and 203 were minors. They were unable to present legal travel documents in the cities where they were found Wednesday.

More than 100 migrants found inside a locked tractor-trailer by authorities near a highway toll booth in Cuitlahuac at Veracruz state were among 1,266 individuals stopped from transiting to the U.S. border on Wednesday.

Footage of an operation released by INM also showed the moment 59 migrants were found Wednesday inside a flatbed truck in Allende, Nuevo Leon, at least three hours from the border with the U.S.-Mexico border.

The discovery happened after police assigned to the northeastern state's attorney general office heard voices coming from the flatbed area when the driver was stopped for a routine inspection. Nineteen minors were found inside. The driver and two companions were arrested.

100 Migrants Trapped Inside Abandoned Tractor Trailer

The INM lauded the state police and military for avoiding a tragedy and saving 100 migrants left inside the locked tractor-trailer. According to Daily Mail, the migrants were identified as residents of Cuba, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

In a separate incident, immigration officers stopped a tour bus in Acajete, Puebla, with 120 migrants from Cuba, Guatemala, and Honduras, who were being smuggled to the U.S.-Mexico border.

In total, the INM said it had taken custody of 303 Colombians, 268 Hondurans, and 181 Guatemalans. There were also 143 Cubans and 100 more migrants from El Salvador.

Mexico's INM Ensures Safety Migration

In a statement, the INM reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining safe, orderly, and regular migration while fully respecting and safeguarding the rights of people in transit through national territory.

According to government figures, the migration agency apprehended 16,740 undocumented migrants last month compared to 9,406 in January last year.

At least 10,443 of these migrants were from Central and South America, with the remaining 6,297 coming from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania.

The number of migrants fleeing violence, poverty, and other issues in their home countries have risen dramatically in recent years. Many were forced to wait up to a year in southern Mexico for approval from authorities to cross the country without being detained before reaching the U.S.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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