Mexican authorities initiated a significant enforcement operation in Mexico City, preventing numerous migrants from hitching rides to the U.S. on freight trains, including the perilous “The Beast” trains frequently used for illegal border crossings.
Earlier this week, Ferromex, the Mexican railway company, temporarily suspended 60 trains in the northern region due to safety concerns as migrants often sustain injuries while attempting to board the freight cars. Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) responded by deploying agents to discourage migrants from accessing the trains.
At a railway near Huehuetoca, north of Mexico City, around 40 INM agents, in multiple vans, patrolled alongside the tracks to block access and deployed drones to locate migrants in the surrounding hills. Migrants, carrying backpacks and water, retreated on foot to the nearest town.
INM and Ferromex announced a partnership to identify strategic points to deter migrants from boarding trains.
Ferromex reported several cases of injuries and deaths among migrants attempting to hop onto moving freight cars. This crackdown coincides with a surge in migrants seeking access to the U.S., overwhelming border officials on both sides.
Despite U.S. warnings to migrants, illegal crossings along the southern border have surged, with over 35,000 migrant encounters last weekend alone. Border Patrol custody held well over 20,000 migrants in the Rio Grande Valley sector, including families with children and unaccompanied minors, many of whom were released with future court dates.
