x

In Mexico, migrants turn to 'The Beast' after highway raids

In Mexico, migrants turn to 'The Beast' after highway raids
5 years 6 months 2 days ago Wednesday, April 24 2019 Apr 24, 2019 April 24, 2019 10:58 AM April 24, 2019 in News - AP Texas Headlines

IXTEPEC, Mexico (AP) - The train known as "The Beast" is once again rumbling through the night loaded with people headed toward the U.S. border after a raid on a migrant caravan threatened to end the practice of massive highway marches through Mexico

A long freight train loaded with about 300 to 400 migrants pulled out of the southern city of Ixtepec on Tuesday. They sat atop rattling boxcars and clung precariously to ladders alongside the clanking couplings.

The northbound train carried migrants north for decades, despite its notorious dangers: People died or lost limbs falling from it. The practice faded after authorities started raiding the trains in mid-2014.

Now with police and immigration checkpoints dotting Mexico's highways, many migrants now view the train as a surer way to reach the U.S. border.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More News


Radar
7 Days