Mexican authorities arrest 315 suspected migrant traffickers

MEXICO CITY: Mexican authorities have arrested 315 suspected human traffickers so far this year for smuggling undocumented migrants towards the US border, the National Migration Institute (INM) said.

The suspects were apprehended between January 1 and October 15 in 13 of Mexico's 32 states as part of a coordinated effort between the INM and state authorities in the country, Xinhua news agency quoted the institute as saying in a statement on Tuesday.

According to estimates by the UN Refugee Agency and the Mexican government, between 3,000 and 6,000 migrants have arrived daily at the US-Mexico border since August, overwhelming migrant shelters, cities on the migration route and immigration facilities.

Officials also seized 339 vehicles traffickers used in the crime, including "dry box trailers with makeshift false floors or other features to prevent the contents of the containers from being seen through X-rays", said the INM.

In recent years, the flow of migrants fleeing poverty in South and Central America and southern Mexico has spiked, leading to an immigration crisis at the US-Mexico border.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol apprehended more than 200,000 migrants crossing the country's border with Mexico unlawfully in September, marking the highest so far this year.

September's tally was also the highest since December 2022, when more than 222,000 migrants were apprehended.