Security Forces Rescue 19 Migrants in Northeast Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Mexican security forces rescued 19 migrants – 15 Central Americans and four Mexicans – in Reynosa, a border city in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, the Tamaulipas Coordination Group said.

The migrants were found on Friday at a residence in Reynosa, located across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, thanks to a tip from the public, the joint state-federal agency said in a statement.

“The migrants said they had been kept locked up in dangerous conditions as they waited to cross the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande) into the territory of the United States,” the agency said.

Twelve of the migrants are from El Salvador, two are from Honduras and one is from Guatemala, while the Mexicans are from the western state of Jalisco, the Tamaulipas Coordination Group said.

The migrants were turned over to the National Migration Institute, or INM, for processing.

Tens of thousands of Central Americans undertake the hazardous journey across Mexico each year on their way to the United States.

The trek is a dangerous one, with criminals and corrupt Mexican officials preying on the migrants.

Gangs kidnap, exploit and murder migrants, who are often targeted in extortion schemes, Mexican officials say.