MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican authorities detained more than 5,200 migrants across the country on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday, in a major sweep as the nation is under pressure from the incoming U.S. government to crack down on arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has called on Mexico to ramp up efforts to stop both migrants and synthetic drugs such as fentanyl from coming into the U.S., threatening to slap tariffs on the southern trade partner.
From Oct. 1 to Dec. 3, Mexican authorities have apprehended nearly 350,000 migrants, according to the Navy.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that a recent migrant caravan traveling through the south of the country would not make it north as migration authorities were “tending to” those remaining.
Tuesday’s detentions were carried out by the Army, National Guard and state police, the Navy said, in support of migration authorities.
The armed forces have taken on increased responsibilities in public security as of late, particularly in the south, where migrants arrive on foot from Central America.
(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez)
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