Mexico: Authorities rescued 22 foreigners abducted from a hotel

The Mexican authorities Rescued 22 foreigners, most of them Cubans and Haitians, who were abducted earlier in the day by gunmen who stormed a hotel in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi on Tuesday, the district attorney general said.

The gunmen also abducted 16 Mexicans when they stormed the Sol y Luna Hotel in Mateual, about 195 kilometers north of San Luis Potosi, the state capital of the same name.

The Mexicans were released earlier, but the foreign nationals had to be rescued in a remote area by the road between Mateuala and the state capital, said Attorney General Arturo Garcσαa Herrera.

The foreigners were to be transported to the city of San Luis Potosi for food and medical assistance. Garcσαa’s office did not elaborate on their rescue or whether any of the foreigners were injured.

Although most of the foreigners rescued were Haitians and Cubans, there were earlier reports that some Venezuelans were among them, Garcσαa’s office said in a statement. Three minors and a pregnant woman were also among the foreigners rescued.

“I will inform the immigration institute so that it can be involved as we do not know the immigration status of these people,” Garca also noted.

Many immigrants hoping to reach the United States face great risks on their way to the country, and abductions, extortions, rapes and even murders have been reported. Some are forced to work for drug cartels, which fight for the paths taken by drug trafficking.

In June, a human rights group said some 3,300 immigrants trapped in Mexico since January by US border policy had been abducted, raped, trafficked or attacked.