Mexican authorities on Sunday detained more than 200 immigrants, mostly Guatemalans, in a warehouse in the center of the country. They were waiting to be taken illegally to the United States, according to the local government.
The National Institute of Migration of Mexico (INM) reported that 225 people were found in the warehouse located in the municipality of Jilotepec. According to the agency, 194 are from Guatemala. There were also 14 Hondurans, nine Nicaraguans, five Cubans and three Salvadorans.
The state government of Mexico, which surrounds most of Mexico City, said 248 immigrants were found in the warehouse. An INM spokesman could not explain the discrepancy between the numbers, according to the Reuters news agency.
US President Joe Biden has been under pressure a few months before the midterm legislative elections in November, due to the increase in the number of immigrants, including Brazilians, who try to enter the United States illegally.
During the last fiscal year, which ended last September, 1.7 million immigrants were detained, a record figure. From then until May of this year, more than 1.5 million arrests were reported, according to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service.
Among the reasons given for the increase are the impacts of economic crises that affect many countries in Latin America and the perception that Biden would be more tolerant of immigration than former President Donald Trump.
In one of the biggest tragedies involving immigrants in the US, at least 51 people who entered the country illegally were found dead last month in and around an abandoned truck in the city of San Antonio, Texas.
Also in June, the Supreme Court overturned a decision that determined the maintenance of the controversial immigration policy known as Remain in Mexico. Adopted during the Trump administration, the policy has forced tens of thousands of immigrants to stay in the neighboring country while they await hearings on their asylum claims, which critics say exposes them to risks of kidnapping and other crimes.
