Migrants are now drowning off the coast of Mexico, too
Migrants are now drowning off the coast of Mexico, too
WRITTEN BY
Ana Campoy
OBSESSION
Borders
March 27, 2017
Northbound immigrants making their way to the US through Central America are taking to the sea to avoid tougher border enforcement in Mexico.
The exodus by sea of migrants from Guatemala to Mexico is not as complicated nor as big as the in the movement of Middle Eastern and African refugees traveling through the Mediterranean to get to Europe, but it can be just as deadly, newspaper El País reports (link in Spanish.)
Migrants funneling through Mexico en route to the US had in the past relied on “La Bestia,” or the beast, a cargo train on which they rode as stowaways. The nickname was warranted—those who boarded it risked life and limb by traveling on the train’s roof or hanging in between the carriages.
More:
https://qz.com/942603/central-american-migrants-are-drowning-off-the-coast-of-mexico-as-they-try-to-avoid-land-smuggling-routes/
But at the bequest of the US, Mexico has taken a series of measures to keep migrants off the train, including increasing its speed. Mexican authorities have also bulked up border patrols and stepped up deportations.