Washington Post: Express buses speeding migrants to U.S. border

The Washington Post is reporting that Mexican smugglers are now using buses to transport Guatemalan migrants directly to the U.S. southern border. The trip – which can cost up to $7,000 – speeds up the process and makes the trip safer.

See a summary of the story – A “Conveyor Belt” to the US Border – with video here and a longer version here.

From the story:

“Paying up to $7,000 per adult with child, families are transported to staging areas at ranches and hotels in southern Mexico, where they are organized into bus groups and rushed north along Mexican highways, “stopping only for food, fuel and bathroom breaks,” according to the U.S. law enforcement documents.”

“Tailored to the new, booming aspect of unauthorized U.S. migration — parents bringing children — the new express bus system’s success would not have been possible in previous eras when the vast majority of migrants were single adults from Mexico whose goal was to avoid getting caught.”

“Customers paying as little as $2,500 are typically made to ride in trucks or stand in cattle cars, while others buying packages for $7,000 or more get premium bus service. Children generally travel free, because those who arrive at the U.S. border with a minor only need to be guided to the edge, not smuggled across it.”

A number of news outlets have written about the recent uptick in illegal migration. US border officials reported last month that 40,325 migrants crossed the border in family groups, up 67 percent from January.