Mexican Law Enforcement Officers Found Guilty of 2021 Migrant Murders

A group of 11 former police officers in Mexico have been found guilty of murdering a group of migrants near the US border in 2021. The bodies of 17 migrants were discovered in a burnt-out vehicle in Camargo, a town in Tamaulipas state. The investigators revealed that this brutal act was a result of a power struggle between criminal gangs competing for control over migrant smuggling routes in the area. It is important to note that every year, thousands of individuals from Central America attempt to undertake the arduous journey to the United States by passing through Mexico. The burnt vehicle in Camargo contained a total of 19 bodies, with sixteen of them identified as Guatemalan nationals and one as a Honduran citizen. The remaining two bodies were identified as Mexican traffickers who were transporting the migrants to the border. Forensic analysis indicated that the victims were shot before being set on fire. Initially, twelve officers were charged with murder, but one of them was ultimately convicted of abuse of power due to cooperating with the investigators. Among the victims was a 22-year-old football player named Marvin Tomás, originally from Comitancillo, Guatemala. Tragically, the killing of migrants is not an uncommon occurrence in Mexico. In 2010, 72 migrants were brutally murdered in San Fernando, also located in the state of Tamaulipas. Furthermore, in 2012, 49 dismembered bodies were discovered in Cadereyta, Nuevo León. The Zetas cartel is known for exerting control over a significant portion of the region and is believed to specifically target immigrants who attempt to cross without paying the gang. It is a common practice for municipal and state police officers to be recruited by these cartels, either through substantial financial incentives or threats, in order to turn a blind eye or provide them with safe passage.