31 Migrants Kidnapped in Mexico Rescued

Mexican authorities successfully locate and rescue 31 kidnapped migrants near the Texas border, highlighting the ongoing crisis of migrant kidnappings in the region.

31 migrants from Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, and Mexico were kidnapped from a bus in Tamaulipas, Mexico, near the Texas border on December 30, 2023.
The bus was intercepted by armed and masked men who forced all 36 people aboard to get off, then took 31 of them away in five vehicles.
Mexican authorities, including the National Guard, Army, and Navy, launched a search operation, using technology to track the migrants' cell phones, reviewing surveillance video from the bus, and scanning the area by helicopter.
All 31 migrants were found and rescued by January 3, 2024, and are now in the care of authorities and undergoing medical examinations.
Kidnappings of migrants in Mexico are common as cartels look to extort them by holding them ransom until friends or family can pay for their release, but the scale of this kidnapping was considered 'atypical'.