Mexico Violence: Thousands of Displaced Residents Afraid of Going Back Home After Drug Gang Attacked Town

Thousands of residents from the town of Tila in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico have fled after a drug gang invaded the town and burned down homes. They are now afraid of going back even after authorities "secured" the area once again.

Mexico officials are now working to bring the Tila residents back home, though residents have expressed their weariness after gunmen attacked them and drove them out.

"They tell us to return but who can guarantee that we will be safe, that there won't be problems?" Tila resident Julio Cesar Gomez told the Associated Press. "No one guarantees anything. There is no solution in sight."

Many of the residents are currently staying in a sports court turned camp in nearby Yajalon. However, several residents managed to spend days trapped in their homes when the armed gang attacked. They were eventually saved when army troops and state police showed up.

"I think I'm going to relocate to a new state, find work in carpentry, painting," Gomez admitted. He and many others from the town have been displaced as a result of criminal gangs and political interests, according to observers.

A group that calls itself "Autonomos," or Autonomous Ones, was said to be behind the violence. The gang itself is linked to drug trafficking operations in the southern Mexican state.

Tila Now a Ghost Town After Mexico Gang Attacked

While violence is nothing new in Mexico, the empty streets of Tila are an eerie reminder of what these drug gangs and cartels can do to these small Mexican towns, as it now stands as a ghost town after its residents fled.

After the initial attack, members of the gang returned the next day, this time with high-caliber weapons. The violence lasted for three days until the Mexico government deployed 5,000 troops to the area and detained six suspects.

"We are not going back," a 60-year-old merchant, who identified himself as Saul, told Reuters. "Until we know that when we leave our houses, they are not going to kill us."

Many of the displaced residents who spoke to journalists covered their faces and used fake names for fear of reprisal from the violent drug gang. They are staying in shelters in nearby towns, too afraid to go back home.

Mexico Violence Sends Many to the US-Mexico Border To Seek Asylum

One of the reasons many are fleeing their homes in Mexico is the violence being brought by these dangerous gangs and cartels. However, this is also pushing them to flee across the border and into the United States.

In one case, a woman named Norma told CNN that after the election, just because she did not vote for a certain local candidate, she believed that she was being followed and now fears for her life. She is now one of many who are seeking asylum in the US despite Biden's restrictive new measures.

"We didn't vote for the candidate - they were forcing us to," she stated.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Mass displacement as residents flee gang violence in Mexican town of Tila | The World - ABC News