61 Immigrants Rescued By Mexican Military And 71 Detained In Texas By ICE

The Mexican military reported that 61 undocumented Immigrants from South and Central America, including three Mexican nationals were rescued from a safe house in Reynosa. In Texas, ICE detained 71 undocumented immigrants being held in several safe houses and a suspect (Coyote).

By H. Nelson Goodson

February 28, 2014

Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico - On Wednesday, the Mexican military reported that they rescued 61 immigrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, including three Mexican nationals and the rest were undocumented. The immigrants had been held for over 15 days by Coyotes (undocumented human traffickers) at a safe house in the neighborhood of Sierra de la Soledad in the municipality of Reynosa.

The traffickers were asking between $3,500 to $6,000 dollars to smuggle them into the U.S. The military says, 33 were from Guatemala,  20 from El Salvador, four from Honduras, one from Nicaragua and three Mexican nationals.

Last year, 1,695 kidnappings were reported, which is an increase by 20% from 2012, according to the National Security Public System. The undocumented immigrants were turned over to the National Institute of Migration for deportation processing. 

In Texas, U.S. federal authorities and a Constable deputy from Hidalgo County rescued 71 undocumented immigrants on Tuesday from several safe houses in Edinburg. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the deputy went to several safe houses after Sergio García Villa was taken into custody. Villa told authorities that two houses located in Edinburg were being used to keep undocumented immigrants. In one location where federal authorities raided, they found 48 undocumented immigrants and at the second location they found 23 more immigrants.

The immigrants were taken into custody for deportation processing.