(NewsNation) — Just across the border from McAllen, Texas, two of the most dangerous migrant camps exist in Reynosa, Mexico.
Reynosa is controlled by the Gulf cartel and other criminal smuggling groups who are profiting off trafficking and extorting desperate migrants attempting to reach the U.S. border.
Around 2,300 migrants from all over the world are living in the camps, both named “Seneda de Vida,” translated to “Path of Life.”
Migrants from all over the world wait there to be granted an appointment to present themselves at a legal port of entry through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection One app.
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Some migrants have been waiting for over three months to be granted an appointment.
As they wait, many of them are kidnapped by smugglers connected to these criminal organizations and are held in stash houses where they are tortured until a family member in the U.S. or back in their home country pays a ransom fee for their release.
A Venezuelan couple told NewsNation that their teenage son was kidnapped two weeks ago near the camps. They haven’t heard from him since.
Cuban migrant Jose Cisneros and Venezuelan migrant Hector Julian were also both taken.
“They held us hostage for six days until our families could gather the money to free us,” Cisneros said.
Julian told NewsNation that his family had to pay $6,000 for his release. He was held hostage for nine days.
“The truth is that it was horrible. I do not wish that terror on anybody,” Julian said.
He continued, “You go through a lot of torture there. For example, if they call your family and they do not answer, they will start torturing you. They remove your nails with pliers. They will hit you with a bat. It is truly terrible.”
Migrants said they fear for their lives every day and are constantly threatened and extorted — even by Mexican law enforcement, who sources say tip off cartels when migrant groups arrive in town.
Despite the dangers, the migrants said they are willing to wait it out in Reynosa for a chance to enter the U.S. legally. They fear separation back to their home country if they try to enter the U.S. illegally.