06/13/11 – On Sunday, an immigration official said that Mexican authorities found 210 migrants crammed into a cargo truck in Southern Mexico. The reporter noted that most of the migrants had Central and Latin American origins and that the discovery was made when the truck was searched at a highway checkpoint. According to the Associated Press, the migrants were reported to be mainly from Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and some from as far as India. The migrants were subject to harsh conditions such as standing for long periods of time in a crowded truck as well as being deprived of food and water for the duration of their journey. Lao, a 23-year-old Salvadoran migrant on the truck, described the conditions as ‘very hot’ and said that he had no water. The migrants were detained in Chiapas to await deportation. The truck’s driver and his assistant were also detained and taken to a maximum security prison. Their names have yet to be released.
The United Nations reports that human smuggling into the United States is a $6.6 billion dollar business annually. A 2010 UN Report stated that non-Mexicans pay $1 billion dollars each year to travel from Guatemala into Mexico and from Mexico into the United States. Alejandro Solalinde, priest and director of “Brothers of the Walk” stationed in Oaxaca, noted that migrants often travel to the United States seeking a better life and more opportunity, but the process of getting there is “hell.”
Sources:
“Captura masiva de emigrantes en México.” Prensa Latina. June 13, 2011.
