Held for Ransom in Animal Pens, Migrants Face Mass Kidnappings as U.S. and Mexico Ramp Up Enforcement

For a lawmaker’s political career and his farm, a federal visa program was a lifeline. For a young father trying to meet his son’s mounting medical needs, that same lifeline failed him.

Held for Ransom in Animal Pens, Migrants Face Mass Kidnappings as U.S. and Mexico Ramp Up Enforcement

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Reporting Highlights

  • Ramped-Up U.S. Pressure: U.S. officials pushed the Mexican government to stop migrants from arriving at the southwest border. Mexico responded by busing tens of thousands of migrants south.
  • A Volume Business: The busing leaves migrants vulnerable to mass kidnapping rings in southern Mexico. The criminal groups collect ransoms and make enormous profits with little risk.
  • An Open Secret: Immigrant advocates and migrants say Mexican authorities look the other way. Migrants are held in animal pens on abandoned ranches until they can pay up.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

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