Immigration
Mexican authorities rescue 129 migrants crowded in truck amid heat wave
When police found the migrants inside the truck, several Mexican states, including Veracruz, were undergoing a higher-than-usual heat wave with temperatures reaching 113 degrees Fahrenheit
June 19, 2023 8:12am
Updated: June 19, 2023 8:12am
Mexican authorities found 129 migrants crowded inside a tractor trailer during a heat wave in the state of Veracruz, the National Migration Institute (INM) said on Saturday.
The 129 migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and India were found in the back of a truck while it was driving along the Almagres trail, in the town of San Isidro, municipality of Sayula de Aleman, Veracruz.
"Of these, 51 migrants of Guatemalan nationality who were traveling with their families were transferred to the city of Tecún Umán, in that country," the immigration agency said, adding that 19 migrants were unaccompanied minors.
When police found the migrants inside the truck, several Mexican states, including Veracruz, were undergoing a higher-than-usual heat wave with temperatures reaching 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius), according to the National Meteorological Service. At least eight people have died in the region due to the heat wave.
Recently, Mexican authorities have encountered several trailers transporting migrants to the U.S. border in crowded conditions.
On May 19, Mexican police found 175 migrants hidden inside a tractor-trailer near the country’s border with Guatemala. When INM agents stopped the tractor-trailer in the state of Chiapas, they heard banding and voices coming from within the vehicle, leading to an inspection of the cargo.
Similarly, in March, Mexican authorities found 343 migrants inside an abandoned freight truck contained on a highway in the state of Veracruz. The drivers had fled the scene and left the migrants trapped within the trailer. Around 103 of the migrants were unaccompanied minors.
The trailer had fans and ventilation ports cut into its roof to provide oxygen to those inside. In other smuggling operations, migrants have not been so lucky. In June of last year, 53 migrants were found dead from overheating inside a trailer on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas after the smugglers abandoned them.
