Mexican authorities have arrested 315 suspected human traffickers so far this year for smuggling undocumented migrants towards the U.S. border, the National Migration Institute (INM) said Tuesday.
The suspects were apprehended between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15 in 13 of Mexico's 32 states as part of a coordinated effort between the INM and state authorities in the country, the institute said in a news release.
According to estimates by the United Nations Refugee Agency and the Mexican government, between 3,000 and 6,000 migrants have arrived daily at the U.S.-Mexico border since August, overwhelming migrant shelters, cities on the migration route and immigration facilities.
Officials also seized 339 vehicles traffickers used in the crime, including "dry box trailers with makeshift false floors or other features to prevent the contents of the containers from being seen through X-rays," said the INM.
In recent years, the flow of migrants fleeing poverty in South and Central America and southern Mexico has spiked, leading to an immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In response, Mexico has made it a priority to pursue the criminal organizations involved in human trafficking while pushing for joint regional efforts to address the root causes of mass migration.
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