The “ordeal” suffered in Mexico by Nicaraguan migrants on their way to the US

Antonia Machado, originally from Nicaragua, spent more than a month in suspense because her son Julio Ampié, her daughter-in-law, Maribel Chavarría, and her 16- and 14-year-old grandchildren were kidnapped by two cartels in Mexico. They were trying to reach the United States irregularly and once there they would ask for political asylum.

“It was an ordeal what we lived through as a family,” Machado commented in July to the voice of america, in relation to what they lived in Mexico. “I feel like I’m dying of grief”

Some time later, Machado was released along with his family and managed to reach the United States. His ransom cost the family more than $30,000. To get them he had to sell properties and collect money among acquaintances.

His case has not been the only one, but one more in the midst of a complex situation experienced by Nicaraguan migrants and other nationalities who cross Mexico in search of the American dream, he told the VOA Astrid Montealegre, lawyer and collaborator of the Nicaraguan American Human Rights Alliance (NAHRA) foundation.

Montealegre maintains that the situation in Mexico “is quite dangerous” for migrants who want to reach the US. In his opinion, the seriousness of the matter is due in part to the “level of involvement of organized crime”, responsible for the kidnapping and disappearance of migrants.

“In this particular year, we have had very high numbers of Nicaraguans who have disappeared, been kidnapped and have died trying to cross north,” Montealegre said.

The lawyer also indicated that a similar situation is faced by migrants from countries such as Cuba and Venezuela, who are often targets of human trafficking networks: “The identity or travel documents of this person, from these countries, have value in the black market”.

On December 14, for example, a group of 152 Nicaraguans were deported from Mexico, after being released from a kidnapping perpetrated by organized crime, according to the organization Texas Community, which supports migrants.

Nicaraguans transferred in trailers

Nicaraguan migrants consulted for this story explained how they survived “traumatic” experiences during their time in Mexico. Some said they were robbed and herded by “coyotes” into trucks or trailers where they remained crammed together for many hours.

In early March, a pregnant Nicaraguan woman died while being transported in a trailer with poor ventilation. The woman was heading to the US and a trafficker was transporting her along with about 60 other people.

The National Institute of Migration (INM) of Mexico said that migrants they were abandoned in the container of a trailer, where they traveled crowded together, presumably along with dozens of others, without water or ventilation and a thermal sensation of 40 degrees Celsius.

“Exorbitant” corruption

Eliecer, who preferred not to share his real name for fear of reprisals, left his native Masaya, a city south of Managua and a stronghold during the 2018 protests, on November 5. He had $700 in cash and the transportation money that would take him to Guatemala, where in theory he would go on an excursion. His real goal was to reach the US.

In his case, he explained, he did not pay the coyotes to be transported through Mexico, however, he faced other obstacles such as mistreatment and alleged extortion by the local police.

“The corruption that I saw was exorbitant, mainly with immigrant people,” Eliecer said, referring to the Mexican immigration police.

The voice of america sent a request for comment to the Mexican government, however there was no immediate response.

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