The Navy rescued 1,204 migrants at sea in three years.

 

Mexico City, January 3.- Since the current administration took office, the Navy (Semar) has rescued 1,204 migrants at sea, it reported in a report.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that human trafficking by sea in Mexico has increased in recent years, seeking to avoid the obstacles of a land journey. This option, however, is not without risks.

In response to a public information request, Semar reported that from August 2010 to last October, it rescued 4,798 migrants who had been shipwrecked in national waters.

Most of these cases were recorded off the border coasts between Chiapas and Guatemala, but in recent years also in the Pacific, between Baja California and California, United States, and between Tamaulipas and Texas .

The report "Mar adentro: migrantes y náufragos en el mar" (The Sea Inside: Migrants and Shipwrecked at Sea), a diagnosis of irregular migration and the illicit trafficking of migrants by sea in Mexico, presented by the IOM in mid-December, indicates that the routes used for this practice are the same ones that have already been tested for the illicit transport of weapons and drugs .

"However, it was identified that these signs are not documented or reported to the relevant authorities, so the problem goes unnoticed," says the organization, which is part of the United Nations.

This illicit trafficking is usually carried out on fishing or shark boats, not designed for long voyages, which are adapted with additional engines.

Migrants are rarely given life jackets or any other devices to help them in case of shipwreck.