At Last Stop Before the Border, Sonora Hostels Raided in Search for Migrants Perla Trevizo - Tucson.com
go to original February 22, 2015

The town of Altar, Sonora, is the last stop for thousands of migrants who plan to illegally cross the border that separates Mexico and the United States in search of a better life. Here, the economy revolves around migration. (VICE News)

ALTAR, Sonora — Mexico’s increased immigration enforcement to stop Central Americans before they reach the United States is being felt here, a small cattle-ranching town and one of the last stops for migrants heading north.

Federal officials are increasingly looking for immigrants, including inside stash houses or hostels that house the border crossers in the Altar area, local residents and migrants said.

...Altar is one of the last staging areas for immigrants trying to cross the border illegally through Arizona. The main square is lined with shops where border crossers can get everything they need for the journey, including backpacks, socks and camouflage clothing. The side streets are full of signs announcing the “casas de huesped” or hostels where they can rent a bed.

Last year, there were more than 104,000 deportations from Mexico of Central Americans from the “Northern Triangle” region — Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador — representing an increase of 34 percent from 2013.

The government crackdown, which started last year, was triggered by the so-called border surge in the United States, when nearly 140,000 unaccompanied minors and single parents with children were detained in fiscal year 2014.

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