Trailer carrying over 200 migrants discovered in Mexico
Mexican authorities have located a trailer carrying 206 migrants from Guatemala and Honduras near the city of Cardel in Veracruz. The National Institute of Migration (INM) made the discovery over the weekend, with the individuals found abandoned inside the hermetic container. The INM revealed that the vehicle had been modified to transport migrants while preventing their identification by US immigration authorities. In addition, the migrants were found to be overcrowded, dehydrated, and medicated to prevent their basic needs.
The INM explained that the trailer had an added second floor supported by a metal structure. The interior walls were also covered with hermetic material to avoid detection by security forces’ X-ray cameras. Among the 206 migrants rescued, 144 were traveling in family groups, with 132 originating from Guatemala and 12 from Honduras. Furthermore, 62 individuals were traveling alone, including 39 adults, four women, and 35 Guatemalan men, as well as three adults from Honduras. Twenty unaccompanied minors, 15 boys, and five girls from Guatemala were also located.
Mexican immigration authorities have provided protection and support to the minor migrants and families, referring them to the System for the Integral Development of the Family (DIF). Adult migrants traveling alone have been transferred to INM facilities to undergo necessary immigration procedures. The case is now under investigation by the Attorney General of the Republic in Veracruz. The whereabouts of the driver transporting the migrants remain unknown, and the vehicle has been made available for investigation.