CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico (AP) — The first place many migrants sleep after entering Mexico from Guatemala is inside a large structure, a roof above and fenced in the sides on a rural ranch. They call it the “chicken coop” and they don’t get to leave until they pay the cartel that runs it. Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have reached a four-year low, but days before the U.S. election, migrants continue pouring into Mexico. While U.S. authorities give much of the credit to their Mexican counterparts for stemming the flow to their shared border, it’s organized crime that maintains a strict control of who moves here.
