In the wake of this week’s deadly human smuggling attempt that left ten people dead in San Antonio, we’re getting a better idea at what drove these mostly-Mexican nationals north.The Mexican government regularly releases crime statistics, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The latest, which are for the month of June, shows 2,566 murders. Not only is that a 40% increase over last June, but the nation saw the most homicide cases since 1997.
Dr Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a fellow at the Wilson Centre specializing in trafficking in persons, says the root cause in the violence is the Mexican government’s success in taking down top cartel leaders, such as Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
“During the Calderon administration, there was an effort to destroy the leadership of the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas,” she explains.
In court papers, witnesses say they were trafficked by members of the Zetas, paying more than $5,000 to get from Mexico to San Antonio.
Dr. Correa says other cartels are fighting to take control of the smuggling routes.
“The heads of these cartels go out, and then there is fight for control. It’s led to fragmentation,” she explains.”
The violence in Mexico is showing no signs of slowing. In the first six months of 2017, there were 13,729 homicides. That’s a 33% increase over last year. Dr. Correa says most of the victims of the cartel infighting have been gang members, but it’s not unusual for their families and innocent villagers to be caught in crossfire. That’s led to a situation where business is moving out of some areas, making jobs scarce.