Despite perils, more U.S.-bound migrants are turning to 'La Bestia' to cross Mexico
By Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times
6 hrs ago 
People hoping to reach the U.S. ride atop the wagon of a freight train, known as La Bestia (The Beast) in Ixtepec, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, June 18, 2014..ARRIAGA, Mexico — They gathered at dawn in this railyard in southern Mexico, contemplating their next move: catching a ride on the roof of La Bestia (the Beast) — the name migrants use for the notorious freight train that winds its way through Mexico toward the United States.
“Climbing on the top looks very difficult, especially with the kids,†said a dubious Carlos Onan Galo Perez, who had traveled from Honduras with his wife and their three children. “I’m worried.â€
He had heard about the dangers: the criminal mobs that terrorize travelers, the risk of falling and losing an arm or leg, or worse. Mexican police recently reported that “delinquents†tossed several migrants from La Bestia in the state of Veracruz, leaving one dead and two with severed limbs.
But the train has reemerged in recent weeks as a preferred mode of travel for Central American migrants after the Mexican government, under pressure from the Trump administration, started making it more difficult for them to cross Mexico on their way to the U.S. border.
Just last year, legions of migrants traveling in caravans passed from Guatemala through the Mexican state of Chiapas largely unimpeded. Thousands more were given humanitarian visas early this year allowing them safe passage northward, keeping in line with campaign promises from Mexico’s new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, that migrants would be treated with respect and compassion.
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http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/despite-perils-more-us-bound-migrants-are-turning-to-la-bestia-to-cross-mexico/ar-AAChziY?ocid=ientp#image=AAChziY_1|10
