In several absolutely confusing statements and interventions in the press, the authorities of the State of Tamaulipas, in the Gulf of Mexico, have confirmed the kidnapping of 31 people, apparently migrants, taken from a bus that was covering the route between Monterrey and the border. The kidnapping occurred after 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 30, on the section of the highway that connects Reynosa and Matamoros. In a message published this Monday night, the State Security spokesperson reported the rescue of five Venezuelan citizens on the same stretch of road. It is not clear if the five would be part of the 31.
One of the bus drivers reported the kidnapping that same Saturday. According to his account, partially reported in statements from the spokesperson's office and in interviews given by its owner, Jorge Cuéllar, five vans with armed men intercepted the bus, owned by the Grupo Senda company, and forced the migrants to get off. The criminals had stopped the vehicle between Reynosa and the city of Río Bravo, a few kilometers to the east. They did not take all the passengers, five escaped and stayed in the vehicle with the drivers, who called the emergency number, 911.
It is about the same modus operandi of the criminal groups that disappeared dozens of people in the same region, somewhat further south, especially in San Fernando, in 2011. Criminals who intercepted buses and other vehicles and took the passengers, in a logic of war between the groups of border criminals. For criminals, migrants, whether from southern states or neighboring countries, are pure merchandise, labor for their battles. Thus, to prevent them from joining the ranks of their rivals, they killed them. Hundreds were found dead in those years in the region.
Since Saturday, state and federal authorities have been combing the area, frequented by migrants seeking the border with the United States. The discovery of the five migrants on Monday night made people think about the 31 and possible clues for their rescue. In its statement, the spokesperson explained that the National Guard detected a white Ford Fusion on the highway between Monterrey and Matamoros, at kilometer 30, in Reynosa. “Upon detecting the presence of the National Guard units, the Ford made evasive maneuvers through traffic and subsequently stopped its operation. Two men got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. The vehicle was inspected, finding five people of Venezuelan nationality, including two minors,” the statement reads.
The migrants indicated that they were traveling on a Grupo Senda bus, like the 31, when the Ford Fusion intercepted the vehicle. The two men who fled allegedly made them get out and board their truck. In interviews with local media, spokesperson Cuéllar pointed out that “this is another case,” although he did not explain what elements allowed him to eliminate the link between both cases.
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