Rights teams warn that migrants and asylum seekers journeying north by way of Mexico typically expertise violence.
The Mexican army has revealed that troopers opened fireplace this week on a truck carrying dozens of migrants, killing six folks.
Mexico’s Ministry of Defence introduced in a press launch on Wednesday that the incident happened close to the city of Huixtla within the southern state of Chiapas the night earlier than, on October 1.
Within the fast aftermath of the taking pictures, “army personnel recognized 33 migrants of Egyptian, Nepalese, Cuban, Indian, Pakistani and Arab nationality, of whom 4 had died, 12 injured and 17 unhurt”, in response to the press launch.
It added that two extra folks died after being transported to an area hospital.
The taking pictures happened about 41km (25 miles) from the town of Tapachula on the border with Guatemala, an space the place many migrants and asylum seekers start their perilous journey north by way of Mexico.
Immigrant rights teams say that violence and abuse by the hands of Mexican regulation enforcement and prison teams are frequent.
The Defence Ministry says that the 2 troopers who opened fireplace have been faraway from their posts. The case has been referred to federal prosecutors in addition to the army’s personal tribunal.
The incident reportedly happened at round 8:50pm on Tuesday (02:50 GMT, Wednesday), when troopers seen a pick-up-like automobile transferring at a excessive velocity.
The press launch explains the truck “evaded army personnel” and was adopted by two autos much like these utilized by prison teams within the space. The 2 troopers opened fireplace after “listening to detonations”, the Defence Ministry stated with out providing additional particulars.
The army stated it’s working with Mexico’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs to coordinate with embassies representing the nations of the victims. The 17 migrants unhurt within the taking pictures have been handed over to Mexican migration authorities.
Critics say migrants and asylum seekers making the journey north in direction of the USA typically pay the worth of escalating regulation enforcement efforts.
The US authorities has pushed Mexico to extend enforcement efforts to stem irregular migration northwards, although the problem has been some extent of rigidity between the 2 nations.
Former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as an example, criticised US efforts to construct a wall alongside the 2 nations’ shared border.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has additionally moved to limit access to asylum alongside the border with Mexico, a transfer broadly denounced by immigrant rights teams.
Final yr, the Worldwide Group for Migration named the trail to the US-Mexico border the “deadliest land route for migrants worldwide”, citing dangers from the surroundings and prison teams, amongst different threats.
