More than 80 migrants reported missing in Veracruz

Yesterday, the National Human Rights Commission in Mexico (CNDH) informed that two trucks have been reported missing, along with at least 80 people from the migrant caravan that entered the national territory on October 19 , making their way to the United States .

In a press conference, the commission’s chief investigator, Edgar Corzo , indicated that the institution had implemented precautionary measures to find the missing migrants and protect their integrity.

“There are two trucks missing and we are taking the corresponding steps by implementing precautionary measures to find these people,” claimed Corzo.

He told that a person had reported the situation before a judicial body in the state of Oaxaca and that the CNDH had provided the appropriate assistance along with the state’s human rights commission .

Corzo mentioned that the migrants had been reported missing in the Isla municipality in the state of Veracruz. “We are currently gathering testimonies and all the necessary information regarding the case.”

The ombudsman of the Human Rights Protection for the People of Oaxaca (DDHPO) , Arturo Peimbert Calvo , tweeted that 100 Central-Americans from the first migrant caravan had gone missing. “We are in a state of emergency. Since Saturday, November 3 , around 100 migrants who were traveling in two trucks , under subhuman conditions, have been reported missing,” he stated.

Peimbert Calvo

told the local press that the case had been reported to both state and federal authorities, though they have failed to address the case. Only the Office of the United Nations for the Protection of Human Rights has taken an interest.

Meanwhile, Corzo reminded the press that both migrants and local authorities had been warned of “the complications that could arise regarding security along that stretch,” and “the risks posed by organized crime.”

The investigator explained that migrants often recurred to trucks for transport and protection. “We simply have to find the connection with said information so that we may find them. Right now we are working to identify each of the migrants missing.”

Regarding the actions that the Mexican government and the Federal Police have undertaken during the crisis, Corzo stated that their actions were more aimed “for contention rather than humanitarian assistance.”

Concerning the situation of migrants at the shelter that was made available in Mexico City , at both a soccer stadium and the sports complex of Magdalena Mixhiuca , the commission warned that “the shelters were disorganized and offered mediocre medical attention.”

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