Abuse of Central American Migrants in Mexico Rises Even as Numbers Fall Tim Smyth - Reuters
go to original October 19, 2015

Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico (Amnesty International)

Mexico's campaign to stem a tide of illegal immigrants from Central American countries to the United States has led to a surge in complaints of abuse by migration officials, including violent attacks and extortion.

Under U.S. pressure, President Enrique Pena Nieto in July 2014 launched a plan he said would make Mexico's southern border "safe for Mexicans and migrants alike".

Since then, the number of Central American migrants - mainly from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras - caught trying to enter the United States has fallen markedly. But complaints of abuse at the hands of Mexican officials shot up around 40 percent, data obtained by Reuters shows.

Dubbed "Frontera Sur", Pena Nieto's plan set out to tighten border controls, register migrants and discourage their use of dangerous transport north such as an infamous train known as "La Bestia" (The Beast), which criminal gangs have long targeted.

Despite also pledging to protect their rights, migrants complain the opposite has happened.

Read the rest at Daily Mail

Related: The Refugee Crisis No One’s Talking About (In These Times)

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