United States and Mexico Announce Coordinated Repression Against Human Traffickers
The United States, Mexico and several countries in the region will coordinate to apprehend the network of human smugglers responsible for a deadly accident that killed dozens of migrants, the US embassy in Mexico said on Saturday.
The embassy announced the creation of an action group in charge of investigating, identifying and apprehending the smugglers involved in the organization of a trailer, packed with more than 160 people, that overturned this Thursday in the Mexican state of Chiapas. At least 55 migrants, most from Guatemala, died and dozens more were injured.
The United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic would support the efforts, although coordination is open to all countries in the region, the embassy said.
“We have a shared commitment to apply the full weight of the law against those responsible, in addition to working in a coordinated manner to combat human trafficking and smuggling in all its manifestations,” the embassy said in a statement.
Thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America have traveled through Mexico to reach the border with the United States in recent years. They often face dangerous conditions, including being transported in crowded trucks organized by smugglers, known as “coyotes,” in dangerous conditions.
Guatemala on Friday urged the United States https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/guatemala-seeks-aid-smuggler-crackdown-after-mexico-migrant-deaths-2021-12-11 to invest in the country and elsewhere in Central America to drive development.
(REUTERS)
