Missing migrants quadruples in Mexico by 2021

Numbers missing migrants in Mexico the above comes as the country struggles to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from Central America to America.

A report by the Search for Missing Migrants (SJM) Program of the Society of Jesus shows that the number of migrants missing in 2021 has increased by 292%, to 349 from 89 in 2020.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants pass through Mexico each year in the hope of reaching the United States. They often fall victim to kidnappings, murders, and other crimes.

Luis Macias, Director of SJM in Mexico, said: “There are places where drug cartels wait for migrants and draw them into their ranks“.

Most of those missing are from countries including Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Relatives hold up photos of migrants who went missing while trying to reach the US border during a protest in Veracruz, Mexico, May 6, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)

According to the report, 44% of the missing migrants were between the ages of 18 and 29, 42% between 30 and 59 years old, and 14% under the age of 17.

Mexico’s National Migration Institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Of those who went missing but were later found, SJM said, 75% were found in an immigrant detention center or in a shelter.

The report highlights that statistics on migrant disappearances in Mexico are still significantly underfunded and are made worse by a lack of public information due to government agencies responsible for finding missing people. provide.

Adrian Estrada, SJM Coordinator for Migrant Support in Mexico City, said: “Policies aimed at disrupting migration have increased the number of cases of incarceration and uncontactable (migrants). And so, the number of disappearances reported by relatives has increased“.

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