Ban on Migrants Riding Mexico's Infamous 'La Bestia' Unlikely to Stem Abuses Mimi Yagoub - InSight Crime
go to original May 2, 2014

Authorities have barred hundreds of migrants in Mexico from boarding the infamous cargo train "La Bestia" (the Beast) destined for the United States, though the measure is unlikely to stop them attempting the perilous journey and may leave them even more exposed to attacks by criminals.

The decision came after the state of Veracruz accused railway companies Kansas City Southern and Ferrosul of endangering migrants using the freight train network by making unscheduled stops that allowed criminals to board the train.

"What the train drivers and some directors of the railway companies have told us is that the decision to stop the migrants boarding the train is due to the reports filed against them [the companies] by the government of [the state of] Veracruz," Ruben Figueroa, an activist with the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement, told Animal Politico.

Since the week of April 21, approximately 800 migrants have been unable to leave the southern municipalities of Tenosique (Tabasco) and Palenque (Chiapas), two major gathering spots for migrants hoping to hop on the train. Many of those stranded are Central American migrants - La Prensa reported hundreds of Hondurans are among their numbers.

Read the rest at InSight Crime

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