India probes suspected human trafficking after 276 nationals return home
Ahmedabad, India Reuters India has launched an investigation into how 303 Indians ended up on a chartered flight that was grounded in France last week because of suspected human trafficking, authorities in the western Indian state of Gujarat said on Wednesday. Tipped off by an anonymous informant, French authorities on Friday prevented the plane from […]
Hungary frees 777 foreigners convicted of people smuggling – statement
Budapest, HungaryReuters Hungary has in recent weeks freed 777 foreigners, mostly Serbian, Ukrainian and Romanian nationals, convicted of human-trafficking, the directorate of prisons said on Wednesday in a reply to Reuters questions. Citing overcrowded prisons, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government issued a decree in April allowing the release of foreign nationals convicted of people smuggling, […]
“Desert Chaplains”: Pastor-led group seeks missing migrants in border desert
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, reports from Arizona on how the Capellanes del Desierto (Desert Chaplains) rescue and recovery group work to find missing migrants along the US-Mexico border…
Smugglers put migrants in suitcases, empty water tanks, US prosecutors allege
Washington DC, US Reuters US authorities unveiled indictments on Tuesday of a lucrative human smuggling operation that allegedly included moving migrants in suitcases and water tanks from the US-Mexico border, as the Biden administration cracks down on groups fueling a record number of border crossings. Eight people, mostly US citizens, were indicted for their roles […]
A deadly trade: ‘VIP trips’ cost migrants their lives in Texas smuggling tragedy
DAINA BETH SOLOMON, JACKIE BOTTS and LAURA GOTTESDIENER, of Reuters, trace the journeys of some of those who died recently in the back of a sweltering truck in Texas, providing what is a a rare window into the world of human smuggling…
At least 17 dead after boat carrying Haitian migrants capsizes in The Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas Reuters Seventeen people died after a boat carrying dozens of Haitian migrants capsized off the coast of The Bahamas, authorities said on Sunday, as more Haitians attempt to reach the United States to flee gang violence and poverty at home. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of 17 people, including an infant, and 25 […]
Mexico reports people-smuggling surge amid jump in migration
Mexico City, MexicoReuters People-smuggling crimes in Mexico this year have more than tripled since 2020, the government said on Wednesday, as the country battles to cope with a sharp increase in illegal immigration at the US border. Between January and August, Mexico registered 1,232 people-smuggling crimes, a jump of nearly 228 per cent from the […]
Traffickers, smugglers exploiting COVID-19, Interpol warns after global crackdown
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Dozens of suspected victims of human trafficking were rescued and more than 200 people arrested in a global crackdown on smuggling and trafficking networks, Interpol said on Friday. The recent week-long operation involved authorities from 32 nations across several continents and led to the identification of 3,500 irregular migrants, the global […]
Vietnamese may be among UK truck dead as police make three more arrests
Grays, UKReuters Police investigating the deaths of 39 people in a truck near London said they had arrested three more suspects on Friday on suspicion of human trafficking amid signs that some of the dead may be Vietnamese. As forensic experts began the process of identifying the victims, the Vietnamese embassy in London said families […]
Migrants in Libya face rising threat from “stronger” gangs and traffickers
Thomson Reuters Foundation Migrants in Libya face the greatest danger in years of being trafficked, exploited or enslaved by armed groups and criminal gangs – which are becoming stronger – as Europe clamps down on migration, the United Nations and analysts said on Tuesday. Rising numbers of migrants trapped in Libya are prey to smugglers […]