In Tapachula, a major city sitting on the southern border of Mexico, over 80% of its inhabitants are living in a state of insecurity. This is the fifth most severe level of insecurity across the nation. This striking state of affairs comes amidst the conflicts between drug cartels, which have been so severe they have driven hundreds of Mexican citizens into neighboring Guatemala to escape the violence.
For the first time in half a decade, Tapachula has earned a dubious distinction: it’s now among the top five most dangerous municipalities in Mexico. This is as per the findings from the National Survey of Urban Public Safety (ENSU), which has painted a grim picture of the safety levels in the region.
Just last week, the ENSU released statistics that put the level of insecurity in Tapachula into perspective, indicating that 84.7% of its inhabitants are living in fear. This figure is distressingly higher than the national average, which currently stands at 59.4%.
This unsettling trend is unfolding as rival criminal organizations massively escalate their disputes along Mexico’s southern border. These cartels are forcibly enlisting youngsters into their ranks and have been the primary reason behind forcing at least 400 residents of Chiapas to seek safety in Guatemala since July. This is as reported by Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena.
The security issue in Tapachula has grown all the worse due to an explosion in migration. The city has become the heart of migration within Mexico, with government records marking a staggering 1.4 million irregular migrants from January to May – representing an annual surge of around 650%.
Rafael Alegría López, who works tirelessly advocating for migrant rights in the region, voiced his concerns this Saturday. He claims that the security situation has become noticeably worse due to local authorities ignoring the issue. As a border city, Tapachula lies at the center of the fierce cartel battles over control of both human and drug trafficking.
Despite previously dismissing the issue as a crisis of ‘ungovernability’, Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is now acknowledging the real problem – the presence and influence of dangerous criminal groups in the region.
Local businessman, Fidel Aguilar, characterizes the situation as a ‘serious and uncontrollable’ issue that has far eclipsed the abilities of local authorities to handle.
This security crisis doesn’t just affect the city’s permanent residents. Migrants traversing Mexico are also falling victim to the violence in Tapachula. In their quest to reach northern Mexico, they find themselves faced with threats and violence.
Inesta Pérez, a female Venezuelan migrant, shared her terrifying experience. She along with a group of five children and nine other adults, fled Venezuela, only to find that the trip through Mexico was far from easy. According to her, the most difficult part was journeying through Central American nations, where threats of insecurity and theft loomed large.
Equally alarming is the perspective of Luis Rey García, the director of the Center for Human Dignity (CDH). García stated that in the locale where cartels are at war over territories, there are no borders that separate countries, letting loose a tide of insecurity.
This stark breakdown of security forces has created an environment where criminal organizations can impose their own version of law and order, contributing towards a perpetual state of insecurity for both residents and migrants.
The extreme levels of violence, coupled with an apparent lack of effective governmental response, have pressured those living in Tapachula and across the border to take matters into their own hands, seeking safety where they can, even if it means leaving their homeland.
Overall, the conflict between rival cartels, the increase in irregular migration and the lack of concrete actions from the authorities create a sense of fear and insecurity that engulfs Tapachula. The unfortunate reality is that this absence of safety gravely affects the lifestyles of the city’s inhabitants, along with those trying to traverse it.
In conclusion, urgent actions and strategies need to be implemented by the government and local authorities to ensure the safety of its residents and refugees alike. Until then, living in Tapachula will continue to mean living under constant fear and threat of violence, a dire situation that steals not only security but also peace and the prospect of a bright future for its citizens and those passing through.