Immigration
Mexican authorities find 175 migrants crowded inside trailer
Most of the migrants were traveling from Guatemala, while a few others were from El Salvador, Honduras, and Ecuador. One migrant was originally from the Dominican Republic and another from Pakistan
May 29, 2023 11:15am
Updated: May 29, 2023 11:15am
Mexican authorities found 175 undocumented migrants hidden inside a tractor-trailer close to the country’s southern border, the National Migration Institute (INM) reported on Friday.
INM agents stopped the tractor-trailer at a checkpoint at Chiapa de Corzo in the southern state of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, when they heard yells and banging coming from within the vehicle, the agency said in a statement.
The truck’s driver refused to open the trailer. However, INM agents said they could clearly see the migrants through the vents of the trailer.
With the help of the National Guard and State Police, the truck was taken to a safe area where authorities found 175 undocumented migrants inside the trailer, including 28 unaccompanied minors.
Images shared by the INM show the migrants standing close to each other inside the truck before slowly descending one by one.
#TarjetaInformativa 📄 @INAMI_mx, con apoyo de Guardia Nacional y Policía Estatal, realizó el rescate masivo de 175 #migrantes 🇬🇹🇪🇨🇸🇻🇩🇴🇵🇰🇭🇳 que viajaban hacinados en la caja de un tractocamión que circulaba por Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas. https://t.co/D5r7wwfJul pic.twitter.com/D3u7g2MD92
— INM (@INAMI_mx) May 26, 2023
Most of the migrants were traveling from Guatemala, while a few others were from El Salvador, Honduras, and Ecuador. One migrant was originally from the Dominican Republic and another from Pakistan.
The migrants were most likely on their way to the U.S. border to seek asylum and flee from the poverty and violence in their home countries. To reach the U.S., many migrants pay smugglers to get them across Mexico and into the United States undetected. However, officials have warned that picking such a route can be dangerous. In December 2021, 49 migrants died after being trapped inside a tractor-trailer in Texas. The driver abandoned the vehicle under extreme heat conditions.
The driver of the unit was handed over to the corresponding authorities for further investigation.
