U.S.-bound Central Americans are fleeing urban areas and hiking into the woods and low jungle for fear of being detained by Mexican officials rounding up migrants in southern Mexico.
Until recently, the streets of Arriaga bustled with migrants who would stay at cheap flophouses and shelters and hop aboard the northbound freight trains at will. The streets of the city of about 40,000 people now look empty.
Federal official Humberto Mayans said Tuesday that immigration officials have pulled 6,000 migrants off the trains they call “The Beast” but offered no details on the roundups.
“We won’t allow in any way for them to board the trains,” Mayans told Radio Formula. He was recently appointed to head the federal government’s southern border improvement plans.
Mexico’s Interior Department said in a statement later Tuesday that the migrants were from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and had been returned to their countries.
Mexican officials say the raids seek to ensure migrants’ safety, arguing that they often fall or are pushed off the train by criminal gangs that kidnap, rape, kill and extort money.
But that claim was met with jeers by Central Americans camping out Tuesday in the jungle near Arriaga.
“That’s a lie. It doesn’t make us safer,” said Manuel Villalta, 31, a migrant from Huasapa, El Salvador, looking to return to the meatpacking plants in the U.S. where he once worked. “Look how we are in the woods, drinking water that can be infected.”
Like the other migrants at the jungle camp, he says he will hop the moving train when it slows at a curve just down the tracks, a much more dangerous practice than hopping the train when it stops in town.
“They won’t stop us. If they detain 100, another 300, 400 will come,” Villalta said.
Guatemalan migrant Guillermo Sismit, 38, who was deported from Miami and is trying to return to his two children in the U.S., was among about a dozen other migrants camped out near the tracks around two miles outside of Arriaga, sleeping on pieces of cardboard and drinking water from a nearby stream.
“Before we could stay in the town, but now we’re exposed to everything in the woods, the animals, the police, the thieves, the narcos,” Sismit said.
Masked police and Mexican immigration agents started raids in Arriaga about two weeks ago, residents said, sometimes even sweeping up Mexicans carrying backpacks or with tattoos, often a sign of gang affiliation.
Luis Fernando Martinez, a 20-year-old unemployed Arriaga resident who almost got swept up in the raids, said he has seen masked federal police officers and at least seven immigration vehicles during the roundups.
“They come looking for anyone who has a tattoo,” he said, pointing to a small tattoo on his hip that almost got him picked up.
Trending News on PVDN
Popocatépetl Volcano Exhibits Increased Activity; Yellow Phase 3 Alert Continues PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - In the past 24 hours, heightened activity was recorded from Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, with an alarming 315 exhalations detected, accompanied by water vapor, other volcanic gases, and ash, according to the Scientific Advisory Committee (CCA) of the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC). Monitoring systems in place around the active stratovolcano also…
‘Kingdoms of Mexico’ Distinction Launches to Boost Tourist Destinations With European Influences Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - Miguel Torruco Marqués, the head of the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur), introduced the new 'Kingdoms of Mexico' distinction, a major initiative designed to enhance the appeal of Mexico's tourist communities on an international level. The announcement came during a presentation attended by the governors of Tlaxcala, Lorena Cuéllar Cisneros; Baja California,…
Popocatépetl Volcano Resumes Activity; Authorities Maintain Alert Status PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - After a period of relative calm last week, Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano resumed minor activity on Friday night and through Saturday night, as reported by the National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC). This comes following significant explosions last weekend that put nearby communities on high alert. The resumed activity was characterized by minor…
Puerto Vallarta Set to Celebrate 105th Anniversary as Municipality and 55th as a City with Grand Festivities PUERTO VALLARTA - The coastal paradise of Puerto Vallarta is poised to celebrate two landmark anniversaries: the 105th anniversary of its recognition as a municipality and the 55th anniversary of its elevation to city status, with a grand commemoration on May 31, 2023. The celebrations have been meticulously planned by the municipal government led by…
Shocking Case of Animal Abuse in Mexico: Man Throws Dog into Boiling Fry Oil PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - A disturbing incident of animal abuse has sent shockwaves throughout Mexico, as a man allegedly threw a dog into a pot of boiling oil, resulting in the animal's tragic death. Authorities have detained the suspect for the assault on the dog and have issued an additional arrest warrant on charges of…
SEAPAL Vallarta Launches New Vallarta II Tank to Reinforce Drinking Water Supply PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - SEAPAL Vallarta, the local water management authority, announced the successful integration and activation of the new Vallarta II Tank to its drinking water distribution system on Tuesday, May 30. This strategic addition is expected to enhance the availability of water in Vallarta homes, a pressing issue in the wake of the…
Two More Puerto Vallarta Beaches Are Awarded Blue Flags Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - In the upcoming 2023-2024 season, Puerto Vallarta is set to host six beaches awarded with the Blue Flag accreditation, an esteemed international recognition for high environmental and quality standards. The Blue Flag committee has reconfirmed the status for four previously certified beaches while conferring this prestigious title to two new beaches…
LGBTIQ+ Community Member Disappears At Puerto Vallarta Pride PUERTO VALLARTA - A member of the local LGBTIQ+ community has gone missing under mysterious circumstances, inciting deep concern within the community and calls for immediate action from local authorities. Rubén Michel Castro Guizar, 32, a deaf individual, was last seen on the night of Thursday, May 25th, attending the Vallarta Pride march. His disappearance…
45 Bags of Human Remains Discovered in Jalisco PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - A chilling discovery of 45 bags filled with human remains in a deep ravine in the El Mirador del Bosque neighborhood of Zapopan has escalated the search for seven missing youths last seen at a local call center. The Jalisco Attorney General's Office confirmed late Wednesday that the gruesome discovery was…
Puerto Vallarta International Film Festival 2023 Program Revealed PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - The much-anticipated program for the Puerto Vallarta International Film Festival 2023 (FICPV), slated for June 8-11, was unveiled recently. The festival, organized by the Centro Universitario de la Costa, is an extension of the renowned Guadalajara International Film Festival of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG). Opening the festival will be a…