As global migration surges, trafficking has become a multi-billion dollar business

Amna Nawaz:

Of the 195 recognized nations in the world, Mexican authorities have logged migrants from 120 of them coming across their southern border.

And those who pay smugglers are passed from handler to handler along the way, often staying in local hotels like these.

The U.S. or no?

But any attempt to speak with them…

But you’re from Kazakstan? You don’t want to speak to us?

… is short-lived. So this is part of the problem we’re running into again and again here, is, a lot of people who are from countries that are not Latin American countries, from Russia, from India, a couple of guys I just met from Kazakstan, they’re staying in these hotels, here but they have basically been told by the smugglers who are moving them not to talk to anyone.

Smugglers like Mario. That’s not his real name, and we agreed to protect his identity, for fear of cartel retribution. But this former bank executive has worked in the human trafficking network since 2020.

Most people will look at what you do and say that you are a smuggler, you are a trafficker. How do you describe what you do?