Mexico: Soldiers Open Fire on Migrant Truck, Kill Six Near Guatemala

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OCT 4 2024

Above: Migrants set out in a US-bound caravan on the outskirts of Tapachula, State of Chiapas, Mexico, near the country's southern border with Guatemala, on July 23, 2024. Image copyright: Isaac Guzman/AFP via Getty Imagesstory last updated OCT 4 2024

The Facts

Mexico's Defense Department said in a statement on Wednesday that six migrants from Egypt, El Salvador, and Peru were killed, and 10 others wounded, when soldiers opened fire on a truck on Tuesday near the border with Guatemala.
According to an official report, officers patrolling a highway in the southern state of Chiapas chased down a fleeing migrant convoy that was mistaken for cartel members, and started shooting after hearing explosions.
Chiapas is a common and lucrative route for smuggling migrants and drugs through Mexico into the US, and one on which violence is escalating, as cartels — including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel — have engaged in a turf war.

The Spin

Narrative A

This kind of tragedy is a direct consequence of Mexico's decision to militarize migration enforcement in its southern border with Guatemala — and one that was waiting to happen given the country's record of human rights abuses. Crackdowns can only aggravate risks for already vulnerable people who are migrating to survive.

Wola

Narrative B

This is indeed a tragic incident — and Mexican authorities have already launched an investigation into the shooting. However, this isolated event doesn't mean that deploying soldiers to the southern border was a mistake. Violence has ramped up in the area as cartels expand their presence and vie for territorial control, and Mexico's authorities must act to curb criminal activity.

Aztec Reports