Deportees to Mexico's Tamaulipas preyed upon by gangs

Not even a church-run shelter is safe for migrants sent back to a dangerous region of Mexico by the United States. Viewed as rich targets, the deportees are vulnerable to kidnapping — and worse.

By Richard Marosi, Los Angeles Times
September 9, 2012

MATAMOROS, MEXICO — They stuck together, walking slowly on busted sidewalks, approaching corners warily. They hurried past smoky taco stands and fleabag hotels. Nobody strayed.

Deported from Southern California the night before, the 20 men had gotten a few hours of fitful sleep at the bus station of this lawless border city. Now they just wanted to get out of town.

"We were moving as one, like a ball," said Rodrigo Barragon, 35, a former construction worker from Los Angeles. "But when I looked back, the ball had a tail."

Five men were following them. Up ahead, three vehicles screeched to a stop, blocking their way down Avenida Washington. The migrants scattered, tearing through streets and alleyways, clutching small bags that held their belongings.

Hours later, they straggled through the door of the Diocese of Matamoros migrant shelter, beneath an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. A plaque beside the entryway bore a dedication: "To the 72 murdered migrants and to those we know nothing about," men and women who were massacred or who simply disappeared. Read more.