The state of Tabasco, Mexico has been plagued by violence, with 2024 seeing a significant increase in homicides since February. The situation took a turn for the worse on October 3, when armed men attacked local police in Villahermosa, leaving two officers injured and multiple stores ablaze.
In a shocking video released on October 10, an unnamed group of armed men accused Tabasco’s Security Secretary, Víctor Hugo Chávez Martínez, of working with the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG). The group threatened that if Governor Javier May Rodríguez replaced Chávez Martínez with a neutral candidate, violence would cease.
However, it appears that Mexico’s authorities may be inadvertently contributing to the problem. Since February, when Chávez Martínez took over as security secretary, homicides have doubled in Tabasco. According to data collected by the National Citizen Observatory (ONC), April saw almost four times more homicides than during the most violent months of 2023.
The CJNG and other organized crime groups have been fighting for control of Tabasco, which has led to a surge in kidnappings, drug dealing, and extortion of migrants. The state’s shared border with Guatemala has long been a migrant hub, but now it seems that sending migrants to this area is exacerbating the problem.
The Mexican Immigration Institute (INM) has been relocating thousands of migrants from Mexico City and other areas northward to Tabasco each month, which is double the number compared to last year. Up to 10,000 migrants have been bussed to Tabasco in a single month this year alone. This influx has provided organized crime groups with an opportunity to extort vulnerable migrants multiple times.
The situation is dire for migrants in Mexico. According to Ernesto Lorda of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), 94% of the migrants they interviewed reported being victims of or witnessing violence, mostly through robberies, extortion, or threats. The NRC has also noted an increase in human trafficking along Mexico’s border with Guatemala.
Lorda emphasized that the rise in crime is not a coincidence: “It’s become a business for them [organized crime groups]. Increasing numbers of migrants arriving in southern Mexico only increases the risks they face from these groups.”
The violence in Tabasco and nearby Chiapas has engulfed neighboring states, displacing Mexicans into Guatemala due to fighting between criminal groups. The situation is complex, with shifting dynamics among organized crime groups and a lack of effective governance.
Ultimately, the question remains: Is Mexico’s policy of relocating migrants to Tabasco unintentionally fueling gang violence in the region?
Source: InSight Crime
