Translated by Jesús Ronquillo / Circuito Frontera
The recent kidnapping of nine migrant individuals in Ciudad Juárez, two of them minors, highlights the dangerous journey that the mobile population faces.
The victims were five men and four women, two of them minors, originally from Ecuador and Guatemala, stated by State Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General del Estado, FGE).
However, this incident is not an isolated case, according to a report by Circuito Frontera. As of June 2023, at least 61 people have been victims of kidnapping in this city. All of them are migrants: foreigners and nationals, as maintained by the association Security and Justice Board in Ciudad Juárez (Mesa de Seguridad y Justicia en Ciudad Juárez).
This trend has been recurring, as opposed to previous years, where currently the migrant population is the most vulnerable group to the crime of kidnapping. In all the recorded cases, the victims are individuals in motion, said Ángela Sánchez Miramontes, a member of the civil organization.
Meanwhile, Rogelio González Alcocer, coordinator of the Security and Justice Board in Ciudad Juárez, stated to this media, that this is a concerning situation for the border community, due to the impunity and violence that threaten the peace and well-being of society in our region.
He mentioned that they had been warning about these situations for several months, given the lack of control over immigration policies in the country.
“Because one of the assumptions regarding these events is the ‘coyote’ (“polleros”/people smugglers) war that may exist, viewing these migrants as ‘merchandise,’ which they are fighting over”.
Regarding the actions taken by the authorities, it was indicated that there is knowledge that five individuals are currently detained for these incidents, one of them being a minor. Additionally, it appears that they are affiliated with a criminal group.
Also, the last two individuals who were abducted last wednesday have already been rescued.
“It’s evident that the current strategies are not showing results in terms of preventing these crimes, and we must continue to emphasize the coordination among the three levels of government and stakeholders in the realm of security, so that these kinds of situations cease to occur”.
In this regard, the Municipal Secretary of Public Security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal, SSPM), César Omar Muñoz Morales, informed that they have now identified the criminal groups responsible for this crime and are collaborating with the FGE and federal authorities to pursue the matter.
He mentioned that one of the challenges they face as an authority is the lack of reports by the affected individuals, since most of them have the sole intention of crossing to the United States.
Regarding this event, the social communication staff of the FGE announced that on wednesday, august 23rd, at 6 pm, through the radio operator of the 911, the probable abduction of several individuals at the “San Miguel” hotel, located at the intersection of Tecnológico Avenue and Sierra Mojada Street.
In the initial report, it was indicated as a violent robbery. Upon making contact with the establishment’s manager, she stated that four armed men dressed in dark clothing abducted five men and four women against their will. Two of the women are minors and are originally from Ecuador and Guatemala.
Also, that the possible suspects fled the scene aboard an orange-colored van, accompanied by a black Suburban. Just before fleeing, they disabled the monitoring system and caused damage to the hotel’s doors. In response to this situation, personnel from the Specialized Unit for Missing or Unlocated Persons, Men’s Division, initiated the first investigations.
