Mexico reports people-smuggling surge amid jump in migration

Migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. wade across the Rio Grande river from Del Rio, Texas, U.S. toward Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico September 22, 2021. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - People-smuggling crimes in Mexico this year have more than tripled since 2020, the government said on Wednesday, as the country battles to cope with a sharp increase in illegal immigration at the U.S. border.

Between January and August, Mexico registered 1,232 people-smuggling crimes, a jump of nearly 228% from the 376 logged during the same period in 2020, Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez told a regular government news conference.