VILLA AHUMADA/PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Sept 29 (Portal) – Migrants were stranded miles from the U.S. border in Mexico on Friday after the freight train they were on came to an abrupt halt, while dozens of trains headed north in fear of Migrants continued to be hired for security.
Hundreds of migrants were seen by a Portal witness aboard a stationary train in a desert-like area near Villa Ahumada, about 123 km (76.43 miles) from the border town of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
“They treat us like animals,” said Sasha Pacheco, sitting on the stationary train surrounded by her family, including a toddler.
“We’re in a desert, there’s only one tree… we’re only an hour (from our destination), but with a baby you’d walk a whole day.”
“Why would they take us if they are doing this to us?” she asked, adding that there was no option to take buses or taxis from their current location.
Last week, 60 northbound Mexican Ferromex freight trains were stopped after about half a dozen migrants were killed or injured. The company later said it had resumed some routes that were not known to be of “increased risk.”
On the side of the train that stopped at Villa Ahumada were banners reading “Thank you, Ferromex,” put up by migrants who were initially grateful that the trains had made the journey.
Grupo Mexico, which owns Ferromex, could not be immediately reached due to the sudden stop of trains with migrants on board near Villa Ahumada.
Earlier in the day, a spokesman said there was no further information about the exact number of trains still stopped.
[1/2]Migrants traveling by train to Ciudad Juarez to reach the United States wait near railway carriages while stranded near Villa Ahumada in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, September 29, 2023. Portal/Jose Luis Gonzalez acquire licensing rights
“The concentration of migrants will continue to be monitored and trains will be moved to ensure continuity of traffic but avoid high risks to people and operations,” they said.
Venezuelan migrant Marlon Vera, who had been traveling for two months, told Portal that the train he was traveling on stopped for several days before it was stopped again near Villa Ahumada.
“We are here … without food, water, exposed to the cold and the heat,” he said.
Last week’s train stoppage left around $1 billion worth of goods stuck at the border.
Further east, in the border town of Piedras Negras, which sits across Eagle Pass in Texas, Venezuelan migrant Jose Julian said Friday he was also stranded while traveling aboard the freight trains.
He said he boarded a freight train in Monterrey a few days ago with about 2,000 other migrants, but somewhere past Torreon the train stopped.
“They left us in the middle of the desert,” he said on the banks of the Rio Grande. “They didn’t care that there were children.”
He said it took 10 hours of walking to reach the nearest town and a total of three days to get to the border.
For years, migrants trying to reach the United States have crossed Mexico on freight trains. Because of the risks involved in traveling by train, such trains are known as “La Bestia” (The Beast).
Reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez in Villa Ahumada and Daniel Becerril in Piedras Negras, additional reporting by Isabel Woodford and Kylie Madry in Mexico City, writing by Isabel Woodford, editing by Valentine Hilaire and Michael Perry
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