In March, Daniel Trejo, a 41-year-old car mechanic in the Mexican northern border city of Nuevo Laredo, was violently pulled from his home at night by men dressed as Marines.
It was the last time his wife saw him. On Wednesday, the United Nations cited “strong indications” that Mexican security forces were behind the disappearance of 23 people in and around the city between February and mid-May.
The Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee, a group that documents accusations of abuse against security forces, has said there were more cases from that period and that if reports from January were included, the total would exceed 50 so far this year. “They came into my house, breaking the door. They pointed guns at me and my husband, and when they saw that I was an American citizen, I thought, ‘They’re going to kill me’,” said Jessica Molina, Trejo’s wife.
“They took him without an arrest warrant, even though he showed them he was working all day in his garage in Laredo, Texas,” she said, adding that no reason was given for her husband’s arrest. The Navy declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
No official government source has confirmed that Marines were involved in Trejo’s disappearance or other cases.
Late on Friday, the Attorney General’s office issued a statement saying it had begun investigations into 28 possible forced disappearances in Nuevo Laredo’s home state of Tamaulipas where the Navy had been accused of involvement.
Mexico’s government issued a statement on Thursday that officials from the foreign ministry, interior ministry and attorney general’s office met with Navy commanders after the UN report. The government said officials would coordinate with the UN human rights office, go to Nuevo Laredo to interview witnesses, find the victims and punish those responsible.
Over 35,000 people have gone missing since the government first sent in the military to battle drug gangs almost 12 years ago.
More than 200,000 people have been murdered in that period and the killings reached record levels in 2017, according to official data. REUTERS