Authorities rescue at least 150 migrants being transported through Mexico

MEXICO CITY

Mexican migration agents and the National Guard rescued more than 150 undocumented migrants in two separate operations, reports said Tuesday.

According to the National Guard, federal authorities were warned of several vehicles carrying migrants in Chiapas state.

At the scene, migration officers along with the National Guard found 105 undocumented migrants.

In their briefing, the National Guard reported that the migrants comprised three Cubans, 21 Ecuadorians, 38 Guatemalans, one Honduran, 32 Nicaraguans and 10 Salvadorans.

In addition, National Guard officers arrested five alleged migrant smugglers and confiscated 16 of their vehicles.

The second operation was in the state of Veracruz, where members of the National Guard tried to stop a truck as it attempted to avoid a highway checkpoint.

While the driver escaped, officers found 51 migrants in the truck.

Migration officers transferred the 105 migrants from Chiapas to a migration facility in Tuxtla Gutierrez. In Veracruz, the 51 migrants were transferred to a facility in Acayucan to confirm their nationalities and check their legal stay in the country.

According to official figures, during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration from Sept. 1, 2021 to June 30 this year, 345,584 undocumented migrants were detained in Mexico, a 126% increase and nearly 200,000 more than previous corresponding period.

In recent years, migration flows to the US have increased exponentially, leading Mexico to detain undocumented migrants within its territory for the benefit of its northern neighbor.

While the US and Mexico have recently announced the end of the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, where migrants were forced to remain in Mexico while their immigration cases were processed in the US, both countries continue to enforce immigration policies that leave thousands of migrants stranded in Mexico.