HomeNewsBrief'Coyotes' Feed on Migrant Workers
BRIEF

'Coyotes' Feed on Migrant Workers

HUMAN SMUGGLING / 29 NOV 2010 BY INSIGHT CRIME EN

A report in the Mexican daily El Informador details the plight of Central American migrants on their way northward in pursuit of the "American dream."  In order to cross the U.S. border, migrants from all over the region entrust their lives to ‘coyotes,’ criminals that specialize in human trafficking, many of which have ties to Mexican drug cartels. 

One migrant laborer mentioned in the story, Edwin, describes the process as a kind of kidnapping.  He and others seeking passage northward were kept in a safe house, where the coyotes told him to call up relatives of his in the United States. They wanted $10,000 to take him to the other side.  "There were six or seven who were armed, and those who couldn’t pay they seperated from us, or left on the roadside,” said Edwin.  “Who knows what happened to them.”  Edwin's family paid for his crossing, and he was delivered in Houston, Texas.  Months later, however, U.S. immigration arrested and deported him.  Edwin’s story is quite common, and reflects the growing commercialization of the ‘coyote’ trade, as more and more organized criminal groups attempt to enter the lucrative market.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 11 JUN 2021

Over seven million rounds of ammunition were stolen by an unknown armed group in central Mexico this week, a record-breaking…

FENTANYL / 9 MAY 2023

Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG depend on a network of brokers to buy precursor chemicals needed to make fentanyl and…

HUMAN TRAFFICKING / 15 JUL 2022

A recent report has shed new light on how temporary work visa programs for migrant laborers can backfire.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.