Alarming Rise in Sexual Assault Cases Targeting Migrants at Mexico-US Border During Entry Delays.
At dawn in late May, when Carolina’s captors appeared at the stash house in the Mexican border city of Reynosa, she believed they were about to compel her once more to contact her family in Venezuela, urging them to meet a $2,000 ransom demand.
However, to her shock, one of the men forcibly pushed her onto a dilapidated bus parked nearby and subjected her to sexual assault, as recounted by Carolina to Reuters. “It’s the most distressing and dreadful experience a person can endure,” said Carolina.
A migrant advocate who provided support to Carolina following her abduction, and who requested anonymity due to security considerations, verified every aspect of her narrative.
This incident occurred amidst a surge in incidents of sexual violence targeting migrants in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, both crucial transit points for individuals attempting to enter the United States. This information is based on data from the Mexican government, reports from humanitarian organizations, as well as interviews conducted with eight survivors of sexual assault and over a dozen local aid workers.
The cruel manner in which smugglers exploit, extort, and inflict harm on migrants for financial gain is both illegal and morally deplorable,” commented Luis Miranda, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), when asked about the increasing reports of sexual assaults.
Data obtained via freedom of information requests by Reuters shows that criminal investigations into the sexual assault of foreign nationals, excluding U.S. citizens, reached their highest levels on record in these two cities this year, based on state data spanning from 2014 to 2023.
According to the U.S. State Department, Tamaulipas, the state where these two cities are situated, is regarded as the most perilous state along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Torture method”
Confronting a historic surge in unauthorized border crossings, President Joe Biden’s administration introduced a novel approach in May. It mandated migrants to schedule an appointment using the CBP One app to appear at an official border crossing for entry into the United States.
Nine specialists, encompassing attorneys, healthcare practitioners, and humanitarian workers, informed Reuters that the recent system has generated unforeseen repercussions in these two cities, exacerbating the surge in violence.
According to four advocates, the elevated threat of abduction and sexual assault in Reynosa and Matamoros is among the factors compelling migrants to undertake illegal border crossings. The number of such crossings surged across the entire border region in September.
Officials in the Biden administration argue that the updated CBP policy prioritizes a more humane approach by diminishing the necessity for migrants to enlist smugglers and criminal organizations to transport them unlawfully across the border.
According to these specialists, numerous asylum seekers have shifted away from paying smugglers to facilitate their border crossing. Instead, they are journeying toward the border independently, with the aspiration of securing an appointment via the app.
Nonetheless, these experts noted that criminal organizations are still insisting that these migrants pay fees for access to their territory.
Sexual assault is employed as a component of the extortion process to extract funds,” remarked Bertha Bermúdez Tapia, a sociologist from New Mexico State University, who is investigating the effects of Biden’s policy on migrants in Tamaulipas.
Security analysts report that the Gulf Cartel and the Northeast Cartel are both operational in the area and engage in the abduction of migrants for ransom, especially those who arrive without the protection of smugglers. Reuters made unsuccessful attempts to reach out to these two organizations.
Additionally, some migrants find themselves prolonging their stay in this perilous area while awaiting the opportunity to schedule an appointment via the app. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports that tens of thousands of individuals are vying for just 1,450 available slots daily.
Expressing deep concern, a high-ranking CBP official situated in Washington conveyed the agency’s unease regarding reports of sexual assaults on migrants in the two cities.
The official, who insisted on anonymity during the interview, stated, “It’s a matter that we’re genuinely troubled by.”
In June, U.S. authorities temporarily halted CBP One appointment scheduling in Nuevo Laredo, another city in Tamaulipas, citing concerns related to extortion and kidnapping, as noted by the official.
Nonetheless, Luis Miranda, the DHS spokesperson, emphasized that the administration’s policies eliminated the need for migrants to wait at the border, as they could arrange appointments from various locations in Central and Northern Mexico.
According to statistics from CBP, the CBP One app has been used by over 250,000 migrants to schedule appointments, and a separate humanitarian program under President Biden has facilitated the entry of over 200,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela into the United States via air travel.
“Proceed with her”
Carolina stated that she and her 13-year-old son arrived in Reynosa on the evening of May 26 via a regular commercial bus. She recounted how men began shadowing them as soon as they disembarked at the bus terminal.
“They insisted that we needed their approval to be in that area,” she mentioned, speaking from Chicago.
The U.S. State Department cautions that criminal organizations in Tamaulipas frequently target buses, “frequently seizing passengers and seeking ransom payments.”
Carolina was quickly taken by the men to a residence where she recounted experiencing sexual assault alongside other migrants.
She shared that her release came about after her relatives reportedly paid a ransom of $3,100. Reuters could not independently verify this payment. She chose not to report the assault to the police, expressing her belief that it would serve no purpose.
An Ecuadorian woman revealed that during her captivity in Reynosa, her abductors repeatedly permitted a drug dealer to sexually assault her in exchange for his delivery of a white substance, which she suspected to be cocaine.
One night, she held her small figurine of the Christ child close, silently maneuvered past her sleeping captors, and managed to flee through the window. She recounted her ordeal, expressing, “I still suffer from nightmares,” during an interview conducted in August from New Jersey.
At the survivors’ request, Reuters has chosen not to disclose their complete names. In order to validate their testimonies, Reuters meticulously examined medical and psychological documentation, criminal complaints, legal affidavits, financial records, as well as photographs and videos provided by the survivors, their legal representatives, and advocates.
During the first half of 2023, the state attorney general’s office initiated seven rape investigations involving foreign women. Notably, four of these cases were initiated in the month of June alone.
Among the eight survivors interviewed by Reuters, only one had reported the assault to the authorities. This survivor, a Honduran woman, disclosed that she had been raped within a migrant camp in Matamoros in late May. According to authorities, no arrests have been made in connection with this incident.
Olivia Lemus, who leads Tamaulipas’ human rights commission, emphasized that official statistics only capture a small portion of the actual number of cases. Lemus stated, “Migrants are reluctant to register complaints,” and added, “The absence of additional reports doesn’t imply that this crime isn’t taking place.”
Mexico’s national migration agency, Tamaulipas’ security agency, and Mexico’s foreign ministry declined to respond to inquiries regarding incidents of sexual violence against migrants.
Juan Rodriguez, who oversees the Tamaulipas migrant services agency, stated that the agency was “responsive” to the matter.
He acknowledged, “Regrettably, at times, incidents occur. We cannot deny that.”
In May, a Venezuelan migrant recounted being abducted in Reynosa by a cartel as he journeyed toward the border for his already scheduled CBP One appointment. He found himself unable to raise the complete $800 ransom demanded, compelling him to labor for two months to settle the outstanding $200, as per his account.
Two additional migrants who claimed they were detained in the same residence during that timeframe corroborated the man’s account of being coerced into labor against his wishes. They also reported overhearing instances of female migrants being sexually assaulted.
During the evenings when the Venezuelan man was assigned to oversee the other migrants, he recounted witnessing the cartel members seeking approval from the individual in charge of the house to sexually assault women of their preference.
According to him, the response was consistently uniform: “Proceed with her.”
