Mexican authorities are on high alert regarding persistent insecurity on national highways—specifically Federal Highway 57—as at least 5,000 Mexican families prepare to participate in the 17th edition of the Winter Migrant Caravan. The families are returning from the United States to Mexico, a journey that has prompted a coordinated multi-agency security operation.

The convoy is scheduled to depart from Laredo, Texas, at 3:30 a.m. on December 16, heading toward Querétaro and several other states. To mitigate the risks posed by crime on the transit routes, the journey will be accompanied by security corporations and emergency response teams from all three levels of government.

Eric Gudiño Torres, the state Secretary of Government, confirmed that the operation will involve the Secretariat of Citizen Security, the State Coordination of Civil Protection, and municipal Civil Protection and Public Security departments. Additionally, the fire departments of Querétaro, Jalpan de Serra, and San Juan del Río, along with the National Migration Institute (INM), will provide support.

To ensure a seamless and safe transit, authorities are maintaining constant communication with counterparts in Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, and other states along the caravan’s path. This coordination aims to synchronize surveillance actions and support measures across state lines.

Secretary Gudiño Torres emphasized that the primary goal of this massive deployment is to provide secure conditions for the migrant families during their return to Mexico, utilizing the combined resources of the various participating corporations to monitor the entire route.