MEXICO CITY, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Mexican authorities on Wednesday rescued 112 Central American migrants being smuggled inside a tractor trailer, the Mexican National Institute of Migration (INM) said.
The trailer had reached as far north as Nuevo Leon state, near the U.S. border, when immigration officers and members of the Mexican National Guard inspected the vehicle on a highway connecting the state capital Monterrey with the border city of Reynosa, one of the key crossing points for undocumented migrants seeking to enter the United States.
Officials arrested the driver and three other companions, while the migrants, including 34 minors, were taken to INM offices for investigation.
The migrants were from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Last week, federal police rescued 228 Central American migrants crammed inside a tractor trailer crossing southern Chiapas state, which borders on Guatemala.
Under pressure from the U.S. government, Mexico recently deployed National Guard troops to its southern border to better control the influx of migrants fleeing poverty and violent crimes.
The strategy has already reduced the flow of migrants from thousands to several hundred, according to Mexican officials.
