Social Issues

Mexican authorities acknowledge that organized crime controls migrant’s border crossings

Tijuana (Mexico), Sep 14 (EFE).- Mexican authorities acknowledge that organized crime “totally” controls at least three crossing points for undocumented migrants in Baja California, on Mexico’s border with the United States.

David Pérez, delegate of the National Migration Institute (INM) in Baja California, recognized that criminal groups’ control of these areas has been excessive. He considered it important to warn migrants about the risks.

“And the most serious thing is that we cannot be present there except for rescue work precisely because there are armed groups there, but we are already doing research with the authorities to try to resolve it,” he said.

He explained that these are areas where there is usually no border fence and which serve as strategic points for criminals, where the presence of armed people is constant and safe houses abound, which limits the activities of INM personnel and its BETA Group.

TIJUANA, THE MOST DANGEROUS POINT

The official highlighted that the three points identified and under criminal control are the ejido of Jacumé, in the municipality of Tecate; Los Algodones, in Mexicali; and Nido de las Águilas, in Tijuana, where even US authorities have warned of the danger because they have suffered armed attacks.

“Nido de las Aguilas is already detected as a red point where there are safe houses and an area where there can be no wall, making it very dangerous. Last month, a body was found in the area, and it was already covered with rocks on the US side,” Pérez mentioned.

He also detailed that, in the case of the Los Algodones area, “it is a boiling area of Mexicali through which 90% of the undocumented people cross to Yuma, Arizona since there is a part where there are 11 kilometers where there is no wall because it is the area of the Cucapah Indian reservation.”

MIGRATORY UPTURN

The alert comes amid an upturn in the migratory flow through Mexico after the initial drop caused last May by the expiration of Title 42 in the United States, as acknowledged the previous month by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Pérez added that the issue is vital because “more and more people are arriving at the border,” and they have detected that criminals are also crossing migrants by sea.

According to the delegate, an average of 1,500 people enter the United States daily without documents through Baja California’s borders.

Alejandro Salinas Diez, the state coordinator of Grupo BETA, said that in recent days, they have rescued migrants abandoned by “coyotes” (human traffickers), so he recommended not to fall into these networks and use the CBP One application of the US Government. EFE

ma/ar

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