Authorities in Mexico rescued 22 migrants being held by cartel gunmen at a ranch in southern Mexico. The rescue came after a fierce gun battle where a soldier and a police officer died during the clash with more than 15 gunmen.
The rescue operation occurred on Thursday afternoon near Tapachula, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. According to the newspaper El Diario del Sur, authorities had been investigating the recent kidnapping of four Cuban migrants. They were tipped off about a ranch near the Tapachula-Viva Mexico highway being used to warehouse migrants. When authorities arrived in the area, they were met by more than 15 gunmen who opened fire.
During the shootout, a state police officer and a Mexican soldier died. Authorities managed to arrest one gunman while the rest escaped. After the confrontation, authorities found more than 14 rifles and rescued 22 migrants that the gunmen were holding against their will.
The rescue comes after weeks of complaints by migrants that authorities in Chiapas were not investigating kidnappings of migrants. According to El Diario del Sur, the migrants claimed gunmen were taking Haitians, Venezuelans, and Cubans to force their loved ones to pay fees of around $5,000 USD for their release.
The kidnappings come as Chiapas continues to be one of the leading immigration hotspots where thousands of migrants continue to enter Mexico. The migrants request travel permits to make their way to the U.S. border to claim asylum. The abuse of asylum claims continues to be the dominant trend used by human smugglers and migrants trying to reach the United States to make a credible fear claim.
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.
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