Authorities in the Mexican state of Sonora rescued 113 migrants of various nationalities who were being held in a building on the border with the United States. The operation took place in the municipality of San Luis Rio Colorado and resulted from authorities following up to locate 10 Colombian nationals who were believed to have been kidnapped. The rescued migrants came from countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the United States, India, Peru, Nepal, Bangladesh, Cuba, Colombia, Brazil, and Afghanistan.
In addition, five individuals were arrested in the operation as probable perpetrators of the crimes committed against the migrants. Two of them were Honduran nationals. The state prosecutor’s office pointed out that the police forces that carried out the rescue were received with applause, blessings, and prayers by the foreigners held captive in the house.
The previous month, another group of 63 citizens from Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico were also kidnapped in the same region while trying to reach the border with the United States, but all were rescued alive. In addition, a Colombian family was shot in Zacatecas State in April when the driver of the vehicle in which they were traveling refused to stop at a checkpoint for suspected criminals. At least two people were killed in the incident.
Mexican authorities have intensified their calls to migrants not to travel to the US border in the false belief that the country will allow them to enter after next Thursday, when Title 42 expires. This measure, implemented in 2020 during Donald Trump’s administration due to the COVID-19 emergency, allows for the immediate expulsion of people without documents, even if they apply for asylum.