Two of 174 Captured Human Smugglers Sent to Prison in Mexican Border State This Year

As the U.S. continues to see record-setting migrant apprehensions, human smugglers in Mexico operate with impunity as only two out of 174 arrested in one Mexican border state have been convicted and sentenced for their crimes in 2022.

In 2022, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has obtained two convictions and sentences out of 174 alleged human smugglers arrested in the border state of Nuevo Leon, Reforma reports. In both of those cases, the smugglers received sentences of eight years in prison. Additionally, the publication noted that one more case went to trial, but was closed for evidentiary shortcomings.

In Nuevo Leon, federal authorities are seeing a 40 percent decrease in the apprehension of migrants in that border state compared to 2021. During the first half of the year, authorities in Nuevo Leon detained 3,242 migrants versus the 5,361 detained in the same period in 2021.

Rev. Luis Eduardo Zavala, the head of the Casa Monarca shelter in Nuevo Leon, told Reforma that the lack of convictions is tied to the professionalism of criminals able to find law enforcement loopholes.

The issue is further worsened by the widespread corruption of Mexican authorities. Members of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute have been the targets of several investigations over corrupt practices and their ties to human trafficking organizations in recent years.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.     

“C.P. Mireles” from Breitbart Texas Cartel Chronicles’ Project contributed to this report.