53 Migrants Die in Truck Smuggling Crash in Southern Mexico

Federal authorities in Mexico claim to be looking into a deadly crash that killed 53 Central American migrants and injured several more. At least 100 migrants had been stuffed inside a tractor-trailer and the driver is believed to have lost control of the vehicle.

The case took place on Thursday afternoon near Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office revealed in a prepared statement. According to Revista Proceso, the driver had successfully passed through a police checkpoint and was headed north when he lost control and the trailer separated before toppling over. The driver managed to escape.

#ULTIMAHORA Más de 50 migrantes muertos en accidente en carretera de #Chiapas ojala las Senadoras @MaluMicher @AntaresVazAla exijan a @CNDH @RosarioPiedraIb @Padresolalinde1 @torresmata01 como “defensores” que corrijan la política migratoria en #México ¡Abrazos no balazos! pic.twitter.com/wV9Nf61SZD

— México Código Rojo (@MexicoRojo1) December 9, 2021

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took to social media to express his condolences.

Lamento profundamente la tragedia ocasionada por la volcadura de un tráiler en Chiapas que transportaba migrantes centroamericanos. Es muy doloroso. Abrazo a los familiares de las víctimas.

— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) December 10, 2021

Mexico’s government has been largely unable to stop cartel-connected human smuggling organizations from moving thousands of migrants to the U.S. on a daily basis. Mexico’s government deployed hundreds of National Guardsmen to help the understaffed ranks of the National Immigration Institute (INM) to stop visible caravans. However, those agencies have been infiltrated by organized crime and are enabling cartels to continue smuggling operations.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.