Mexican police rescue kidnapped Central American migrants
August 27, 2018
The migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras were hoping to make it to the US, when their helpers turned into captors. Police say they found the migrants living in "inhumane conditions."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Ugarte
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Mexico's federal police carried out an operation on Sunday that freed 22 Central American migrants who were being held captive in the southern state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala. In the same raid, authorities also found nearly 400 kilos of cocaine, the Interior Ministry confirmed.
Two men guarding the home were arrested at the scene, after a 36-hour long operation succeeded in freeing eleven migrants from Guatemala, six from Honduras and six others from El Salvador. Among them were eight men, six women and eight children under the age of 18.
Authorities said the migrants were unharmed in the raid, but were found to be living in "inhumane conditions." They showed signs of malnutrition and some of them had respiratory illnesses. All had to receive medical attention.
Trafficked on the way to the US
The migrants told police that they were headed to the United States and that their captors had offered to help facilitate the journey. The so-called "polleros" changed their route and held them the migrants against their will, in order to collect ransom money from their families.
Chiapas Attorney General Alí Arista Chávez said the migrants had paid 15,000 pesos ($790) per person for safe passage from Chiapas to the central Mexican state of Puebla, near Mexico City. Instead, they never left Chiapas and were kidnapped.
Police were made aware of their captivity through a tip combined with information provided by a migrant who had managed to escape the home. A court order then granted law enforcement the power to break into the home.
"The rescued migrants will be referred to the National Migration Institute to help grant them humanitarian visas for legal residency," a police statement read.
Migrants from Central America are easy prey for criminal organizations that seek to profit from their plight. In many cases, migrants are swindled, abandoned after they have paid for their journey through Mexico, and fall victim to organized crime and human trafficking.
jcg/bw (AP, dpa)
Honduran refugees risk their lives to get to US border
Refugees from Central America are trying to draw attention to the human rights abuses they face while trying to get to the US. Sanne Derks documented their experiences in and around a shelter in Apizaco, Mexico.
Image: Getty Images/D. McNew
On the move
Most Central American migrants travel on top of cargo trains, to reduce the risk of being stopped and deported. Buses are more often stopped by migration officers. Crossing the American border is a challenge. In case they cannot afford a "coyote" — a human trafficker— many of the young men consider carrying drugs as a means to pay for the border crossing that is controlled by drug cartels.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Risking life and limb
Catching a moving train is not without danger: Alex Garcia, who used to be a farmer, lost his leg while trying to get off a moving train. He is recovering at a refugee shelter and doesn't know where to go afterwards.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Keeping a low profile
According to Miquel Angel (above) the biggest risk along the road is being kidnapped by organized criminal groups, like the Zetas. Most migrants do not carry a cellphone or a notebook, in case they are caught and extorted.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Respite from the hazardous journey
The migrants try to find shelter along the route in one of Mexico’s 52 albergues, or shelters. In Apizaco they are allowed 24 hours to rest, except when they are the victim of a crime or accident. All four men in the picture have permission to stay longer, as they were either shot or otherwise physically injured during their journey.
Image: DW/S. Derks
The waiting game
Sometimes the migrants have to wait for days for the next train. Delmin Flores (center), and his two cousins Alejandro Deras and Luis Deras sit in the sun for hours in front of the shelter. They were forced to leave their coffee-growing region in Honduras after coffee prices plummeted. At night, they risk being robbed or killed by organ trade traffickers.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Clambering to safety
Hardly any children or women take the journey by train. The risk of falling into the hands of traffickers or being violated is very high. This woman and child are accompanied by the husband, who has tried the journey more than 17 times.
Image: DW/S. Derks
A close call
Herdin Varga recounts how he was shot by a guard on the train. The bullets hit him in his arm and neck. One centimeter to the right and he would be dead. He's been given permission to recover in the shelter and is in the process of requesting a temporary permit to travel Mexico so that he can continue his trip by bus.
Image: DW/S. Derks
Praying for safe passage
The shelter was founded and funded in 2010 by the Catholic priest Ramiro Sanchez. It later turned into a civil organization, independent of the government. Before meals are served, refugees pray together. Many of the migrants are religious and believe that God will provide protection during their journey.
Image: DW/S. Derks
On the outside looking in
If they've checked out of the shelter, migrants cannot enter again to spend the night. This rule has been installed to protect the safety of the employees who fear that the migrants may have been come into contact with human traffickers. "The shelter is for humanitarian aid, not for people making business out of it," shelter employee Sergio Luna told DW.
Image: DW/S. Derks
All in vain
This group of migrants boarded the only train that passed that day, but it stopped immediately after leaving the railway station. They were forced to walk back to the shelter and try their luck next time.
