Mexican Authorities Tackle Migrant Surge and Smuggling at Belize Border

Quintana Roo authorities have intensified border security operations along the Mexico-Belize frontier in response to rising concerns over illegal migration. The Yucatan Times reported that Julio César Gómez Torres, Quintana Roo’s head of the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC), confirmed that the state has ramped up efforts to prevent unauthorised entries, particularly after a surge in migrants from Cuba.

“We are strengthening actions in coordination with the Secretariat of National Defence (Sedena) and the Navy to patrol the border with Belize, in addition to maintaining joint operations with authorities of that country,” Gómez Torres told The Yucatan Times. The state has also seen an uptick in fraudulent documentation attempts at international airports, prompting enhanced surveillance.

According to The Yucatan Times, in regions like Río Hondo, Mexican authorities are more focused on curbing smuggling and informal trade. “We have not registered seizures of migrants in this area; what does prevail is informal trade and trafficking of illegal products,” Gómez Torres told the news outlet. Meanwhile, drug trafficking continues to be the state’s top security concern, fuelling violent conflicts between rival criminal groups, reported The Yucatan Times.