Mexico: 688 migrants of different nationalities intercepted in the state of Puebla

Migrants from Latin America continue to flow north. (Archives)

The Mexican government announced on Saturday that it had intercepted 688 migrants of different nationalities during two operations carried out in the state of Puebla, in the center of the country.

The National Institute for Migration (INM) said in a statement that it had identified in two operations carried out in Puebla 688 migrants of different nationalities, including 150 minors.

Among the migrants , 514 were from Guatemala, 79 from Honduras, 40 from Nicaragua, 37 from El Salvador, 15 from Cuba and three from El Salvador, the INM said. 567 of them were in a hotel, while 121 were intercepted on a bus.

Authorities have arrested four people for their possible responsibility in the crime of human trafficking, the INM added.

The minors were cared for by the System for the Integral Development of the Family (DIF), a Mexican public institution of social assistance. Adults have meanwhile been transferred to migration posts to continue their administrative procedures, INM said.

Every year, thousands of people from different countries seek to reach the United States, fleeing poverty and violence. On their way through Mexico, they often face extortion from Mexican authorities and criminal gangs.

Since 2014, approximately 6,430 people have died or suffered disappeared on the migration route to the United States, according to the International Organization for Migration.

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