/ Modified jun 13, 2019 9:53 a.m.

Migrant activists accused of human smuggling released in Mexico

Upon release, Irineo Mujica accused the Mexican president of being a tool of the Trump administration to stop migrants.

Irineo Mujica VIEW LARGER Immigration activist Irineo Mujica.
Courtesy of Pueblo Sin Fronteras

MEXICO CITY — In Arizona, it is unclear if humanitarian aid worker Scott Warren will continue to face charges of illegally harboring undocumented immigrants. And in Mexico, two activists accused of human smuggling have been released. Their supporters said the arrests were a setup.

Irineo Mujica and Cristóbal Sánchez were set free after being detained for a week in the southern border state of Chiapas. A judge determined there was insufficient evidence to link their activities to human smuggling.

Mujica is leader of Pueblo Sin Fronteras and Sánchez from Cultura Migrante, two nonprofit organizations supporting Central American migrants crossing through Mexico to the United States. They helped hundreds of people who made the journey as part of recent migrant caravans.

In a press conference after his release, Mujica accused Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador of being a tool of the Trump administration to stop migrants.

The activist said the U.S. and Mexico are working together to harass migrant supporters and use them as scapegoats.

Mexico’s president has said that his government is not acting to please any foreign power.

Fronteras Desk
This story is from the Fronteras Desk, a collaboration of Southwestern public radio stations, including NPR 89.1. Read more from the Fronteras Desk.
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