The Journey
When migrants leave their countries of origin, a treacherous journey through Mexico awaits them en route to the U.S. In order to apply for asylum status in the U.S., migrants must be physically present at a port of entry, which requires the journey through Mexico. Here, migrants face terrors like sexual assault, human trafficking, kidnapping, gang recruitment, extortion, and “La Bestia” or “El Tren de la Muerte.”
Routes
The danger of the trip from the Northern Triangle to the U.S. lies partially in the socioeconomic status of the migrants making the journey. Some middle class citizens are able to take “tijuaneros,” which are coach buses that take them to border cities, while upper class citizens often fly from major cities like Tegucigalpa, Ciudad de México, or Guatemala City. Lower class migrants usually travel by a combination of walking, driving with smugglers (known as “coyotes”), and traveling along train routes.
Most migrants aim northeast to Veracruz and stop at checkpoints in Coatzacoalcos, San Luis Potosi, Monclova, and Chihuahua. Once migrants cross the Guatemalan border, the majority of migrants travel 150 miles to Chiapas, Mexico to avoid Mexican border security.
“La Bestia” or “El Tren de la Muerte”
From this point, most migrants illegally hop on a train known as “La Bestia” (The Beast) or “El Tren de la Muerte” (The Train of Death). There are no passenger rail cars on this train; so, migrants travel on top of the moving train. The train is comprised of a network of cargo trains that ship products from Mexico to the U.S., along with hopeful migrants. The three main routes of La Bestia are outlined in the graphic below. This train is infamous for causing injury and death, hence its ominous name. For more information about La Bestia, see this article.
Source: “Central American Migrants and ‘La Bestia’: The Route, Dangers, and Government Responses,” Migration Policy Institute, September 10, 2014, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/central-american-migrants-and-%E2%80%9Cla-bestia%E2%80%9D-route-dangers-and-government-responses
Migrants face various, extreme hardships along these routes. In addition to transportation dangers like “La Bestia,” migrants risk exploitation and abuse from smugglers and human traffickers.
Migrant Smuggling
The United Nations defines migrant smuggling as: “the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or permanent resident.”
Migrants often seek out smugglers who have made the journey northward to Mexico, through Mexico, and/or across the U.S. border for their experiential knowledge and protection. This assistance is particularly attractive to children traveling alone and women with children. Families pay smugglers to ensure their safe travel to the U.S. However, once the journey has begun, smugglers often abandon migrants, raise their fees, exploit, or assault the migrants. In some cases, migrant smuggling turns into human trafficking.
Human Trafficking
The United Nations defines human trafficking as: “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual exploitation.”
As migrants travel through Mexico, they are not only vulnerable to trafficking by their own smugglers, but they are also vulnerable to exploitation by anyone who becomes aware of their illegal status. Traffickers know that migrants travel with money to pay for smugglers, transportation, food, and bribes of corrupt officers. Traffickers then may threaten migrants with exposure and arrest, and force them into labor or sexual exploitation. Migrants, especially women and children, are considered to be extremely vulnerable to human trafficking.
Despite the many horrors that migrants face on the journey to the U.S., there are some positive resources along the journey. From migrant shelters to food and water supplies, some humanitarians provide refugees with life-saving aid.
Migrant Shelters
Migrant shelters provide travelers with a place to sleep, as well as meals and some medical assistance. Some shelters even offer legal and counseling resources to migrants. Currently, many migrant shelters have been forced to close their doors due to safety needs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the need for shelters along the journey remains great, and some shelters have continued to stay open through the pandemic.
For information about migrant houses, shelters, and soup kitchens along the main migrant routes, visit https://www.bbvaresearch.com/en/publicaciones/map-2020-of-migrant-houses-shelters-and-soup-kitchens-for-migrants-in-mexico/. This site includes PDFs of a map of these locations and details written in Spanish.