Agents with Mexico's Institute of Immigration (INM), the authority in charge of regulating entry and exit of migrants in Mexico, are reportedly working with taxi drivers in a scheme to get undocumented migrants into the U.S.
The new report comes from Albert Rivera, the head of the Agape Shelter in Tijuana, who says migrants are paying up to $500 per person to cab drivers to take them to the border where INM agents are waiting for them.
"The migrants settle things with the cab drivers, who then transport them to the agents who provide access to the border," said Rivera.
The scheme comes as INM agents and members of Mexico's National Guard are placed just south of the border to prevent migrants from approaching the U.S.
Rivera also explained to El Sol Newspaper of Tijuana that six families, who were then deported, used taxi drivers to connect them with the INM agents who would then show them where to cross into the U.S. The shelter head is now asking Mexico's federal government to investigate "the scheme," saying he believes the agents are also profiting from the practice.
"I'm not saying the INM needs to get cleaned up, it's only a few bad elements. We're not saying all of them are doing it, it's one or two bad apples," he told Border Report.
"The cabbies come by and pick up people who are staying here, they also meet at a nearby plaza then they drive them to an undisclosed location," Rivera continued.
The alleged scheme comes as migrant apprehensions at the border fell sharply in 2024, in large part due to Mexico's increased cooperation in stopping border crossings.
In November, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded approximately 46,610 encounters between ports of entry along the south border. That was 18% lower than in October 2024 and 76% lower than in November 2023, continuing a downward trend in encounter numbers since June.
Last December, Mexico launched an immigration crackdown just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken led a delegation to Mexico City, where he pressed President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to step up enforcement, The Washington Post reported at the time.
The constant decline is also a result of an executive order in June, severely restricting asylum requests from migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border with no authorization. That ban meant that people who crossed the border to ask for asylum, for the most part, were fast-tracked for deportation.
The Border Report's revelations also come just days before President-elect Donald Trump is set to re-enter the White House, promising to further crack down on immigration and kick off the largest mass deportation operation in American history.
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