File photo taken on Feb. 15, 2016 shows children watching at the border between Mexico and the United States in Anapra, Chihuahua state, Mexico. On Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Guillermo Arias)
MEXICO CITY, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of U.S.-bound migrants entering Mexico under 18 surged by 132 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2019, Mexican authorities said Wednesday.
The National Immigration Institute (INM) attended to 33,122 Central American migrants who were underage during January-June 2019, compared with a total of 14,279 minors in the same period in 2018, the INM said in a statement.
More than half of the minors, 17,034, were from Honduras, while 10,069 were from Guatemala, 3,745 from El Salvador, and 2,274 from other countries.
The number of girls tripled to 13,671, while boys doubled to 19,451 from the same period last year.
There is an increase of women with young children among the migrants, the authorities warned.
Meanwhile, the INM documented 8,525 unaccompanied minors in the first half of 2019.
