TLAPACOYAN — At first, Mexican migrants Pablo Ortega and Julio Lopez enjoyed the smuggling equivalent of a first\u002Dclass ticket to the United States:…
Both had borrowed thousands of dollars and paid extra to secure what smugglers promised would be a comfortable trip avoiding the worst dangers of illegal border crossings.
As tighter controls drive migrants to greater risks, experts say smugglers are increasingly selling more expensive routes they advertise as “secure,” “special” or “VIP.” Those options usually promise vehicle transportation rather than walking across the desert, as well as more comfortable stays.Article content
His girlfriend was newly pregnant, and Ortega was determined to make it to Florida, where his mother lived. There he could earn money to send home for the care of his soon-to-be first child and save to build a house.Article contentLopez set off on June 8 from Benito Juarez in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. A sawmill worker, 32, slim with sincere dark eyes, Lopez hoped to send money home for the autism care of his youngest of three children.
Vehicle and transport-related border deaths grew more quickly than any other cause, between 2020 and 2021, according to U.N. data. Over the next two weeks, Ortega sent photos and videos from a spacious, well-decorated home where he played video games and smugglers treated him to pizza and Tecate beer while they waited for border patrol presence to decrease.
During this time, Ortega had been trying to cross. But the river’s high waters made it difficult. At one point, he saw a migrant drown in the strong current.
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