Military deployed in the border city of Piedras Negras, in the state of Coahuila, in northern Mexico, detained 26 Cubans on Wednesday who were being transported in a truck. “The driver of the unit was arrested on charges of human trafficking,” he told 14ymedio Piedras Negras City Council staff.
The hesitation of the driver at the time of being questioned about the load he was carrying was enough for them to pass the unit through the scanner. “Among the cardboard boxes the migrants were hidden, who were uploaded in the state of Nuevo León,” the authorities detailed.
The Cubans told the military that they were not part of the caravan and that they did not have the humanitarian visa issued by the National Migration Institute (INM) in the last month. “Mexico is not going to deport anyone on these dates,” an immigration agent clarified to this newspaper. “The ideal thing for them is to start with the visa process, which will allow them free transit for a year in the country.”
Piedras Negras, bordering the United States, has in recent years become a transit route for migrants promoted by human trafficking networks. “The coyotes even use social networks to sell the idea of a ‘safe passage’ to the United States for 2,000 or 3,000 dollars,” explains the migration official. “It is easy for them to cross the Rio Grande to reach Eagle Pass, but they do not take into account that the current is treacherous,” he lamented. “In recent months, 18 illegal immigrants have drowned.”
“Among the cardboard boxes were the migrants, who were uploaded in the state of Nuevo León”
Until this Wednesday, in Coahuila, 14,991 migrants had been detained in various operations. “We have detected people between cows and pigs”, details the same source. Last week a Cuban was arrested who “tried to circumvent the filter of the international bridge to cross to Eagle Pass and even tried to bribe with the delivery of 3,000 dollars to the elements of the liaison office located in Piedras Negras.”
In the last month, the INM has reported the “seizure” of 43 Cubans in Piedras Negras. On December 14, National Guard agents detained nine nationals of the Island who were traveling on a bus heading to Monclova.
The retention of migrants has also generated “overcrowding” in the shelters. “Centers that are for 30 or 40 people end up being occupied by 100”, mentioned the immigration agent. In october soldiers they detained 14 migrants for a riot in a provisional INM center located in the city of Piedras Negras. Among those arrested were Cubans.
On December 22, the Government of Coahuila met with the Border Patrol of the Del Río Sector and promised to strengthen the strategy to prevent the illegal entry of undocumented foreigners to the United States. In this 2021, 623 Cubans were detained in that state. which were made available to the INM to define their immigration status.
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