Mexico saw a huge increase in migrants from Africa and Venezuela in 2023, authorities say

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say they saw a huge increase in the number of migrants from Africa and Venezuela entering the country in 2023. Those migrants generally enter Mexico from Central America and cross the country in a bid to reach the U.S. border. Mexico’s Interior Department said year-end figures showed the nine times more migrants from Africa entered Mexico in 2023. The report also showed the number of migrants from Venezuela more than doubled last year. In part, that may reflect more rapid and more numerous movements of migrants through the jungle-clad Darien Gap that connects South America to Panama.