This is a small portion of a story published by the Mexican newspaper MILENEO.
According to a confidential intelligence report accessed by MILENIO, the fees charged by traffickers to migrants range from 4,000 to 10,000 dollars per person, depending on the route, risks, and services offered.
The document states, “In the Chihuahua-Texas border alone, there is an annual profit of 100 million dollars, and more than 274,000 migrants have transited in the last year.
“For criminal organizations, human trafficking has become a multi-million-dollar industry, even surpassing drug trafficking and prioritizing the movement of people into the United States.”
Trafficking networks exploit the desperation of migrants, increasing rates based on demand or tightening of border controls. This has led to an increase in violence levels as gangs fight for control of territory.
According to information provided by detained traffickers, smugglers charge people seeking to reach the United States 4,000 dollars when the migrant is at the border between 10,000 and 18,000 dollars when brought from Central and South America. In comparison, rates rise to 30,000 dollars for extra-continental migrants.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 