Guatemalan authorities detained 18 Cuban migrants who were discovered while traveling aboard a bus that was traveling in the municipality of Cuilapa, about 65 kilometers from the capital of the Central American country.
According to an official statement shared by the National Civil Police of Guatemala (PNC), the incident occurred on Friday, March 8, and in addition to the Cubans, 21 people from Ecuador, seven from the Dominican Republic and five from Nepal were also detained.
Additionally, Guatemalan authorities managed to arrest three people accused of being the alleged coyotes in charge of mobilizing undocumented migrants, who carried out this task with a yellow Freightliner bus.
“They captured three alleged human traffickers, identified as Luis ‘N’, 23 years old, Yermis ‘N’, 18 years old, and José ‘N’, 25 years old, who aboard a yellow Freightliner bus, were carrying 18 Cubans, 21 Ecuadorians, seven Dominicans and five Nepalese,” the PNC indicated on its social networks.
They captured three alleged human traffickers, identified as Luis “N” 23 years old, Yermis “N” 18 years old, and José “N” 25 years old, who were carrying 18 Cubans, 21 Ecuadorians, on board a yellow Freightliner bus. , seven Dominicans and five Nepalese. pic.twitter.com/RVjA8VoXAA
— PNC of Guatemala (@PNCofGuatemala) March 8, 2024
After the arrest, the migrants were assisted by the authorities, receiving water, food and medical attention to confirm their good health. After that, they were transferred to a shelter of the Guatemalan Migration Institute in the area, where it will be determined if they can remain in the country, will be expelled from the territory or if they will be returned to their respective countries of origin.
“They were assisted by the National Civil Police, and later sent to the shelter of the Guatemalan Migration Institute in zone 5 to resolve their irregular immigration status,” the statement added.
The operation that led to the arrest of the coyotes and the “rescue” of the migrants was a joint effort between investigators from the Specialized Criminal Investigation Division (DEIC), the Inspector General’s Office and the PNC.
During their odyssey to reach the United States, migrants often hire the services of so-called coyotes, who, in exchange for large sums of money, promise safe passage across the borders of different countries.
However, In many cases these are discovered by local authoritieswhich results in their arrest and the detention of foreigners, who face the risk of being returned to the country they are trying to escape from.
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