An estimated 1,300 Central American refugees broke out of an overcrowded detention center in southwest Mexico Thursday night.
Most of them returned to the facility, but nearly 400 boarded a freight train known as “The Beast” in an effort to get closer to the US/Mexico border.
The group disembarked Friday in Ixtepec.
“We hope our God above will keep helping us. We had to keep moving forward,” said Michael Hernandez, one of the migrant riders. “They won’t let us walk, so we climbed on the train. It’s our only option.”
The Beast, which runs from Chiapas to Veracruz, is a dangerous option that allows migrants to evade police and immigration checkpoints. Most migrants riding The Beast sit on top of the train or cling precariously to its sides while it travels.
The Beast has seen increased ridership following Trump’s demands for the Mexican government to block the movement of migrants through Mexico.
“They’re riding the train again, that’s a fact,” says Rev. Alejandro Solalinde, a migrant rights activist. “It’s going back to the way it was, the [Mexican] government doesn’t want them to be seen. If the migrants move quietly like a stream of little ants, they’ll allow them to, but they are not going to allow them to move through Mexico publicly or massively.”
Thursday’s breakout occurred days after federal police encountered a 3,000-person caravan traveling on a highway east of Ixtepec. At least 371 people were detained.
Editor’s note: It certainly seems like this is more organized than it should be. In addition to our liberal friends in America, the narcotraffickers might have a vested interest in keeping the borders open, ISIS might as well. Of course, it could just be the people trafficking “coyotes” union, getting organized, but it sure seems fishy…