Violence, unemployment drive Ecuadorians to Mexico

FILE PHOTO: Two Ecuadorian women are processed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent after they crossed the border from Mexico into Sunland Park, in New Mexico, U.S., September 17, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Ratje

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The number of Ecuadorians braving the trek north to Mexico in hopes of reaching the United States jumped exponentially last year amid a wave of violence and shrinking job opportunities at home, experts say.

"We've never seen violence like this before," said Monica, a 30-year-old Ecuadorian in Mexico who fled after criminals threatened to kill her when she could not make extortion payments to continue selling food.