According to Mexican authorities, Forty migrants and two drivers were kidnapped while travelling on the highway in Northeastern Mexico. Nine people from the group were luckily rescued the day before, after managing to escape. The group had started their journey in southern Mexico near the Guatemalan border. Members of the National guard were deployed to search for the ones still missing.
Unfortunately, thousands of migrants fleeing violence and poverty are at risk of abduction and exploitation at the hands of criminal gangs whilst crossing Mexico en route to the US border. The nine who were rescued were between the ages of 18 and 35 and from Venezuela and Honduras, according to authorities in Nuevo Leon, northeastern state.
The National Confederation of Mexican Transporters states that a ransom demand of $1,500 per person was made. Last year, over 2,100 migrants were kidnapped in Mexico, says the National Institute of Migration. Recently, thirty-five tourists and migrants, including women and children, were abducted in the North-eastern region of Mexico, who were later found in an area guarded by armed men.
Earlier this month, ten Colombian migrants that were allegedly kidnapped while trying to reach the United States were also found by the authorities. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, at his daily news conference, assured that the National Guard would do everything possible to locate the missing migrants. This worrying trend of kidnappings emphasizes the dire need for a proper security strategy and the protection of migrants across Mexico.
