2 yıl önce

US to work with regional countries to crackdown on people smuggling

The joint effort with Mexico and several other regional states comes after 55 people were killed in a deadly accident when a trailer, crammed with more than 160 migrants, overturned in Mexico.

Reuters

Human traffickers commonly hide undocumented migrants in trucks bringing them from Guatemala into Mexico, from where they head north to the US border.

The United States, Mexico and several regional countries have decided to coordinate to apprehend the network of human smugglers responsible for a deadly accident that killed dozens of migrants, the US embassy in Mexico said.

The embassy announced the creation of an action group tasked with investigating, identifying and apprehending the smugglers involved in organising a trailer, crammed with more than 160 people, which overturned on Thursday in the Mexican state of Chiapas. At least 55 people, most from Guatemala, were killed and dozens others were injured.

The United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic would support the efforts, though coordination was open to all regional countries, the embassy said on Saturday.

"We have a shared commitment to apply the full weight of the law against those who are responsible, in addition to working in a coordinated manner to combat human trafficking and smuggling in all its manifestations," the embassy said in a statement.

Growing number of migrants

Thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America have traveled through Mexico to reach the US border in recent years.

The flow of undocumented migrants has increased since Biden came to office with a promise to scrap the hardline border policies of his predecessor Donald Trump.

The United States recorded a high of 1.7 million people entering illegally from Mexico between October 2020 and September. Many were expelled.

They often face perilous conditions, including transport in crammed trucks organised by smugglers, known as "coyotes," in dangerous conditions.

Migrants have told that the truck journey entails hours locked up without ventilation, avoiding drinking water so as not to have to urinate. Drivers, they say, ignore pleas for fresh air.

Guatemala on Friday urged the United States to invest in the country and elsewhere in Central America to boost development.