The defense ministry said on Wednesday that 33 migrants were moving in a pick-up truck when Mexican soldiers opened fire, killing six of them. The migrants were trying to flee a military patrol. The event serves as a reminder of the rising tensions along Mexico's southern border as a result of American efforts to efficiently handle migration.
Ten additional migrants are said to have been hurt in the Tuesday night gunfire. The group included people from Egypt, Nepal, Cuba, India, Pakistan, and other countries; however, the military ministry did not disclose the nationalities of the deceased.
About 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Tapachula, which is close to the Guatemalan border, the patrol was traveling on a roadway near the town of Huixtla when the incident occurred, according to the military ministry. This was just before 9 p.m. local time.
Two cars that looked like they belonged to local criminal groups were with the pick-up truck, according to the ministry. Two officers started shooting at the truck after soldiers claimed to have heard explosions. Four migrants perished at the site, while two others succumbed to their injuries later in the hospital.
This sad incident highlights the immigration laws in Mexico as well as the military's growing involvement in concerns of national security. A collection of advocacy and civil society organizations called the Collective for the Monitoring of the Southern Border declared, "These events are neither accidental nor isolated; they are a consequence of the restrictive immigration policies that the Mexican state continues to implement."
Mexico has been asked to lessen the number of migrants crossing their shared border as a result of pressure from the United States. Due to economic hardship and violence in their home countries, a record number of people have attempted to cross the border in recent years, making this especially relevant.
Due to the strict border security measures implemented by the Biden administration in advance of the impending elections on November 5, there has been a recent decrease in unlawful border crossings. The current political climate makes the matter even more urgent, particularly since Republican Donald Trump, who has threatened to unleash a massive immigration crackdown, is running against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Many migrants traveling to the United States enter Mexico through Tapachula, which is in the southern state of Chiapas. This year, there has also been bloodshed in the area, especially between rival criminal groups like the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Approximately 600 people were displaced by fighting in July, and many of them fled into Guatemala.
Following the shooting event, the Mexican defense ministry declared that federal prosecutors had been alerted and that the two soldiers involved had been removed from their duties. A military tribunal is scheduled to look into the situation on its own.
In keeping with its zero-tolerance stance for impunity, the ministry underlined its commitment to upholding the law. Furthermore, it declared its willingness to support civil authorities in elucidating the incident's circumstances.
The need for diplomatic engagement in the wake of this tragedy is further demonstrated by the fact that the defense ministry is working with Mexico's foreign ministry to coordinate outreach to the appropriate embassies regarding the nationalities of the injured and the deceased.
