Dozens of families took part in a narco-exodus by fleeing their homes in northern Mexico. The families fled after Mexican authorities were unable to stop the cartel violence that plagued parts of Tamaulipas.
Breitbart Texas spoke with several families from Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, who were forced to leave their homes in the last 15 days due to the constant gun battles taking place in the region. City officials from Miguel Aleman have not revealed the number of families who left the area over the ongoing violence as the Christmas holiday weekend approaches. The border city of Miguel Aleman is directly south of the border from Roma, Texas.
The region is considered one of the main smuggling corridors used by the Gulf Cartel to move both migrants and drugs. In recent years, the region experienced increasing levels of violence as the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas attempted a takeover.
The Mexican Army has a military base on the south side of Miguel Aleman. Even with a military presence and some patrolling by state police forces, cartel gunmen continue to operate with almost complete impunity.
On Thursday afternoon, a group of gunmen who were hiding in a brushy area fired at the military base in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Miguel Aleman. As the gunmen fled, they also fired at several homes and multiple vehicles. By the time military forces responded to the scene, the gunmen fled the area. Authorities refused to disclose any information about the attack.
The violence in Tamaulipas continues to increase despite numerous empty claims by government officials. As Breitbart Texas reported, the current governor and some of his closest allies have benefited from connections with the Gulf Cartel and other criminal organizations.
Earlier this year, approximately 50 families fled the town of Los Guerra, near Miguel Aleman, over similar cartel clashes. Historically, Miguel Aleman has had several narco-exodus events tied to cartel violence, at least since 2010, when the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas first split and began a turf war of sorts that continues in one form or another to this day.
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.