By Sue Gloor
Despite the American financial crisis and the resulting stem in the flow of migration to the United States, people from Mexico and other Latin American countries continue to attempt to cross the border into the North. In fact, the heightened economic tension may be a factor stimulating the development of a lucrative new business—the kidnapping of these migrants for ransom.
Recently in Mexico the kidnapping of desperate and poverty-stricken migrants has increased. These people might not have extensive funds themselves, but they are usually carrying the phone numbers and email addresses of a number of relatives who have already made it to the US and can be forced to pay large sums for the safe return of their traveling loved ones.
The con artists, usually from Mexico, lure immigrants by promising them help crossing the border and small jobs to gain much-needed money, for example. Once alone, the criminals beat the immigrants and demand their US contacts. Raping and even killing are also tactics which are sometimes used if the immigrants do not comply with the demands of their kidnappers.
Up north in the US, family members get calls or emails for huge amounts of money for the release of the kidnapped, which they usually pay in order to ensure the safety of the victim.
Unfortunately, the problem of kidnapping illegal immigrants is hard to pinpoint and address, since many of the incidents go unreported. Immigrants, particularly those from Latin America, don’t know the Mexican area well and are afraid of being deported back to their home countries if they tell law enforcement officials. Sometimes the Mexican police are actually working with the kidnappers.
Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission estimates that 9,758 migrants were kidnapped as they tried to cross from Mexico into the US between September 2008 and February 2009 alone—a period of just six months. Given the difficulty of recording the incidents, this is most likely a modest figure.
By Noquel
ReplyDelete(Sue thanks for the report)
This number 9,758 kidnappings over just 6 months, which I agree it is most likely modest, should make it obvious to U.S authorities that a Immigration Reform is needed on this country. If these individuals would not find it impossible to enter this country "legally" they would try to do so. However, petitions take years and years, and when you are hungry, unemployed and living in the middle of violence you cannot wai year that long.
Also, this report has something to say about how immigrants view law enforcement officials. The fact they are afraid of denouncing a crime of this magnitude, suggest a disturust of law enforcement officials, the ones who are supposed to protect our safety. I even dare to suggest that this fear it's a reflection of the treatment they received by such officials.