Mexican Army Shoots Migrant Trucks, 6 People Are Killed

Six migrants died after Mexican soldiers opened fire on a 33-migrant truck while trying to avoid military patrols.

Ten other migrants were injured in the incident on Tuesday, October 1 evening, the Mexican defense ministry said. The migrant group includes people of Egyptian nationality Nepal, Cuba, India, and Pakistan, but the identities of the victims who died were not identified.

As reported by Reuters on Thursday, October 3, Mexican authorities said the incident occurred before 9 p.m. on a highway near the town of Huixtla, about 40 km (25 miles) from Tapachula, the Guatemalan border.

The truck was followed by two vehicles similar to those used by criminal groups in the area. Soldiers reported hearing explosions after two officers opened fire.

Four migrants died at the scene, while two others died in hospital.

The incident highlighted Mexico's policy on migrants and increased military roles in national security.

"This incident is not a coincidence or isolation, it is a consequence of the strict immigration policy that the Mexican state continues to implement," the advocacy organization group and civil society said.

Mexico is under pressure from the United States to reduce the number of migrants arriving at their borders, which is the country with the highest number of migrants.

In recent months, illegal border crossings have eased, as US Joe Biden's administration tightened its approach to border security ahead of the November 5 elections, in which Vice President Kamala Harris faces Republican Donald Trump, who promises to take a crackdown in the event of a violation if he is re-elected in the US presidential election.