Mexico Van Crash Kills 3 Migrants, Injures 12

A van crashed on a highway in northern Mexico on Tuesday, killing at least three migrants and injuring a dozen.

Mexico's National Immigration Institute said the three dead migrants included a girl from Honduras, while the nationalities of the two migrants remained unclear, the Associated Press reported.

It was also unclear if the vehicle's driver were among the dead. The van the migrants were riding had reportedly crashed in Mexico's northern border state of Nuevo Leon.

Authorities did not provide details of how the van crashed in the said area.

The 12 injured migrants were reportedly from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Mexico's National Immigration Institute said they would be given humanitarian visas.

The institute added that the bodies of the deceased migrants would be returned to their home countries. According to AP, victims of crashes involving migrant smuggling are usually considered crime victims in Mexico. Thus, they are eligible for such visas.

Other Crashes in Mexico That Also Killed Migrants

A bus crash was reported in northern Mexico in May. Seven migrants died, and 24 were injured after the bus plunged down an embankment in San Luis Potosi state.

Reports said one of those killed was a pregnant woman, while an eight-year-old child and a six-month-old baby were among those injured.

Those who survived the bus crash in Mexico included 11 Salvadorans, seven Hondurans, and four Cubans. A Mexican and Panamanian were also injured.

Local media reported that the bus departed from an area near Mexico City and was heading toward the U.S. border.

Immigrants and activist groups claimed that the crackdown on migrant crossings contributed to why illegal immigrants use riskier routes to the U.S.

Immigrant activist Irineo Mujica noted that more individuals who want to seek asylum in the U.S. take more dangerous routes, and the number of people who die trying to cross Mexico is increasing.

According to reports, migrants usually wade, swim, or take rafts in crossing the Mexico river in an attempt to reach the U.S.

Migrant Encounters Reach 2 Million Mark

The U.S. recently recorded two million migrant encounters that have already surpassed all of last year's total.

According to Border Report, new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data showed that the agency recorded 2,002,604 migrant encounters since October 1.

A total of 1,956,519 migrant encounters were recorded in the fiscal year 2021, which ended September 30.

Despite surpassing last year's total migrant encounters, CBP noted that the monthly migrant encounters dropped 10% from May (274,831) to June (247,163). It was the first time the numbers fell since a 14% drop from December to January.

The CBP data also revealed that Mexicans continue to make up the highest nationality of migrants encountered at the border, with 66,557 Mexican nationals in June.

Guatemalans were second with 24,765 encounters nationwide, followed by Hondurans with 24,143 encounters.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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