A new IOM office in the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez in Chiapas
State will allow IOM to strengthen its working relationship with
local government and organizations and to help vulnerable, newly
arrived migrants.

The office will disseminate objective and up-to-date information
to migrants and the general public on the risks faced by irregular
migrants in Mexico and build the capacity of local government
officials and civil society organizations working with
migrants.

It will also provide direct assistance to migrants, including
medical and psychological support, temporary accommodation,
assistance in obtaining documentation and information about
integration opportunities.

Mexico's southern border state of Chiapas is the main transit
point for tens of thousands of migrants from Central America, and
more recently from as far afield as China and India, who are
attempting to reach the United States.

Once they enter Mexico through Chiapas, the more than 3,000
kilometer journey to the northern border is fraught with dangers,
especially for unaccompanied minors and women.

According to figures from Mexico's National Human Rights
Commission, in a period of six months last year, 11,333 migrants
were kidnapped. Many were held and ransoms demanded from their
families.

In addition to running the risk of being kidnapped, robbed,
raped or killed, migrants often have to endure terrible conditions,
travelling on top of freight trains or confined inside tractor
trailers. Police in Chiapa del Corzo, south of Tuxtla
Gutiérrez, found over 500 people travelling like this last
week.

IOM has been present on Mexico's southern border since 2005,
when it opened its first office in Tapachula, Chiapas. Since then,
it has carried out projects aimed at strengthening the capacity of
local government and civil society organizations to help migrants
in transit, victims of trafficking, unaccompanied minors and other
vulnerable migrants.

For more information, please contact:

José Ramón Córdoba

IOM México

Tel: +52 55 5536 3922

E-mail: "mailto:jcordoba@iom.int">jcordoba@iom.int