In the midst of the African and Haitian refugee crisis in Mexico's southern border, the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) and the Marines (Semar) deployed soldiers at the Mexican border with Guatemala to combat, among other crimes, human trafficking.
The soldiers and marines will provide assistance at checkpoints and patrol both clandestine and formal points of entries, where goods, firearms, drugs and undocumented foreigners cross on a daily basis.
The soldiers will patrol blind spots where the traffic of chemicals and firearms has been reported and criminal groups use to traffic migrants.
One of the operation's main objectives is to limit the activities of the crime organizations at the Mexico – Guatemala border. The marines and soldiers will also look for illegal plantations and synthetic drug labs, said Genaro Robles Casillas, a military commander working in the area.
Between January and August of this year 116 thousand 312 undocumented Central Americans and other foreigners were apprehended in primarily in Chiapas, Veracruz and Tabasco.
Lastly, Mexico has seen a massive influx of African and Haitian refugees over the past few months. These refugees apply for 20 day visas in the country, which if granted, allows them to move freely around the country and travel to the U.S. - Mexican border.
