Mexican Train Company Halts Services as Migrant Fatalities Soar

A Mexican railway company has suspended 60 of its routes after a surge of migrants hitching rides on freight trains. Ferromex, which owns Mexico's largest rail operator, decided to halt service on trains traveling towards the US border to prevent accidents or loss of life. The company stated that the number of migrants attempting to ride on their freight trains was unprecedented. Migrants often clamber onto the roofs or cling to the sides of the trains, risking their lives in the process. Gangs that rob, rape, and extort migrants also target the trains. In response to the influx of migrants, Ferromex reported over 1,500 people on top of a train and inside a train depot in Torreón, as well as hundreds more at various other points along the railroad. Families with children are among those boarding the freight trains. This increase in migration comes as international organizations, such as Unicef, warn about the rising numbers of migrant children traveling through Latin America and the Caribbean. Gary Conville, Unicef's Latin America and Caribbean director, attributed this trend to gang violence, instability, poverty, and climate-related events in the region. According to United States Customs and Border Protection, over 83,000 children have crossed the southern US border in the first seven months of 2023, with Unicef suggesting that nine out of 10 children at some crossing points are under the age of 11.