Mexican authorities are intensifying their efforts to locate approximately 50 migrants who were abducted from a commercial bus in the central state of San Luis Potosi.
The Attorney General’s Office in San Luis Potosi confirmed the kidnapping and revealed that the bus, along with its two drivers who are also missing, was later found in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon. The specific date of the incident was not disclosed.In response to the alarming situation, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that the National Guard has been mobilized to assist in the search for the missing migrants. The urgency to find them was further emphasized as it was revealed that nine individuals, aged between 18 and 35 and hailing from Honduras and Venezuela, were successfully rescued in Nuevo Leon. Authorities are currently working to determine if the nine rescued migrants are connected to the larger group that was kidnapped.
San Luis Potosi has become a hotspot for organized crime involvement in human trafficking, particularly due to the increasing number of migrants passing through the region en route to the United States. This surge has been partly fueled by the recent repeal of a COVID-era border policy, which had allowed U.S. authorities to expel migrants more swiftly. With the rise in migrant-related criminal activities, Mexican security forces are grappling with the challenge of combating organized crime networks and ensuring the safety of vulnerable migrants.