Authorities Rescue 19 Kidnapped Migrants in Northeast Mexico

Tuesday-September 8,2015 MEXICO CITY – Federal Police officers and National Migration Institute, or INM, agents rescued 19 migrants who were being held captive at three houses in Nuevo Laredo, a border city in northeastern Mexico, and arrested a suspect, officials said.

The operation was mounted in response to a tip from the public that led to the monitoring of activities at the houses in Nuevo Laredo, located across the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas, the INM said in a statement.

Officers found the migrants, who were presumably kidnapped by a gang that was demanding the payment of ransom, in the houses, the INM said.

The migrants – nine Hondurans, seven Nicaraguans, two Salvadorans and a Sri Lankan – gave statements to investigators.

The gang tricked migrants by telling them it would take them to the Mexican-U.S. border, the INM said, adding that the criminal organization transported migrants from San Luis Potosi to Nuevo Laredo, which is in Tamaulipas state.

Once in Nuevo Laredo, however, the migrants were kept captive and the gang demanded relatives’ telephone numbers so arrangements could be made for the payment of ransom.

The suspect arrested in the operation was turned over to prosecutors, who will determine the charges to be filed against him.

The migrants were taken to the INM facility in Nuevo Laredo for processing.

The trek undertaken by migrants hoping to reach the United States is a dangerous one, with criminals and corrupt Mexican officials preying on them.

Gangs kidnap, rob and murder migrants, who are often targeted in extortion schemes, Mexican officials say.