Mexico Arrests Cartel Leader Accused of Migrant Massacre
Mexican security forces have arrested a leader of the Zetas cartel accused of organizing a 2010 massacre of seventy-two Central American migrants in Tamaulipas State. He is also accused of involvement in the killing earlier this year of an activist mother who spent years searching for her missing daughter (Associated Press)
Migrant Deaths at U.S.-Mexico Border Up 17 Percent
The number of migrants who have died while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border jumped 17 percent in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2016, according to the International Organization for Migration (Guardian)
United States Officials Find Marijuana in Ford Cars Imported to U.S. from Mexico
U.S. officials intercepted an estimated one million dollars’ worth of marijuana hidden inside Mexican-made Ford cars being imported to the United States. The marijuana was packed tightly inside the spare tire compartments of fifteen cars (Reuters)
At Least Fourteen Killed in Gunfight Between Gangs in Chihuahua
Rival drug gangs were involved in a shootout in the early morning of July 5 that left at least fourteen people dead (Washington Post)
Body of Local Reporter Found in Michoacán
The body of a local television reporter who had been missing since May was found in Michoacán state, bringing the number of journalists killed in Mexico this year to seven (Guardian)
Mexico’s Murder Rate Hits Record High
There were more than two thousand murders in Mexico in the month of May, the highest number in any month since 1997. Murder rates in the first five months of 2017 have increased almost 30 percent when compared to the same period in 2016 (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Arrests Dozens of Suspected MS-13 Gang Members
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that officials arrested thirty-nine members of international criminal gang MS-13 in New York over the past month. Those arrested are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico (New York Times)
Mexican Journalist Killed in Sinaloa
Mexican journalist Javier Valdez, a winner of the International Press Freedom Award, was shot dead by gunmen in the state of Sinaloa (BBC)
Activist Kidnapped and Killed in Mexico
A Mexican woman who advocated for parents of missing children was kidnapped and killed by gunmen in Tamaulipas State. The activist had reported death threats from criminal groups and said she did not receive protection from authorities (New York Times)
Fugitive Mexican Governor Arrested in Guatemala
Former Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte, who escaped Mexico in October 2016, was arrested in Guatemala on racketeering and embezzlement charges (Latin American Herald Tribune)
Homeland Security: U.S. Illegal Border Crossings Drop
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly said the number of people illegally crossing the U.S. border dropped by approximately 40 percent from January to February. Kelly said the monthly total was the lowest in five years and credited the decrease in border crossings to President Donald J. Trump’s immigration policies (BBC)
Two Killed, Hundreds Arrested in Mexico Protests
A police officer and a bystander were killed amid unrest in Mexico as protesters demonstrated against a sharp rise in the price of gasoline and looted hundreds of stores (Associated Press)
Officials said they have made more than six hundred arrests
Authorities Kill Fourteen Gunmen
Police and marines killed fourteen gunmen in Mexico’s Veracruz state, after they attacked a police patrol (Reuters)
Nine Bodies Discovered in Southwest Mexico
The bodies of nine men with signs of torture were found in the state of Guerrero, a government statement said (Reuters)
Former Police Chief Arrested for Organized Crime and Kidnapping
A former police chief in the town of Iguala, Mexico, where forty-three college students disappeared in 2014, was arrested for organized crime and kidnapping (Washington Post)
Homicide Rate Is Rising in Mexico
In the first eight months of 2016, the number of homicides rose 18 percent in Mexico, after August saw the most homicides since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in 2012 (Wall Street Journal)
Two Priests Killed in Mexico
Two Catholic priests were found murdered after they were abducted in Veracruz state (Latin America Herald Tribune)
An estimated forty Catholic priests have been murdered in Mexico in the past decade (Mexico News Daily)
Kidnapped Son of Drug Lord “El Chapo”
The son of Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman was reportedly kidnapped among six other members of the Sinaloa Cartel by a rival gang (BBC)
Assailants Abduct Men From Mexican Resort
Gunmen in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta abducted up to a dozen menwho were celebrating at a restaurant in the town’s center early Monday, the state prosecutor said (Wall Street Journal)
Over One Hundred Murders in Three Days Across Mexico
Reports indicate that between July 29-31, one hundred and five people were killed by criminal gangs in seventeen states across Mexico, including the murders of two public officials (Yucatan Times)
Report: Torture, Sexual Violence Against Women Routine by Mexican Security Forces
A new report accuses Mexican security forces of torture, sexual assault, and threats of violence against women during arrest and interrogation (Amnesty International)