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19-524: In the 2005 INEGI Census, the city reported a total population of 18,965, with 53,311 in the surrounding municipality. The ravine of Metlac, which borders the Cañón del Río Blanco National Park, is the most famous feature of Fortín de las Flores. The residents of Fortín de las Flores are considered by freighthopping Central American migrants to be some of the most generous in Mexico. Fortín de las Flores

38-667: A crime, and other places are more lenient . Despite increased deterrent measures, would-be migrants use the Eurostar and Eurotunnel Shuttle to cross the English Channel from France to England. Union Pacific Railroad in the United States encourages people who witness transients on freight trains to report them to its dispatch center. According to a sheriff's deputy from Lincoln County, Nebraska train hoppers no longer write symbols on trees and buildings, but there

57-435: A freight car in some fashion unseen or “catch one on the fly” once it has begun to move. Train surfing is a similar activity that involves the act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram or another rail transport. Most train hoppers simply rode in or above freight cars. Another historic method was “riding the rods“. In the early 1900s days of wood frame freight car construction, steel truss rods were used to support

76-559: A sort of halfway point before the train route scatters into various directions that head closer to different points on the U.S. border . Often, migrants fall asleep while riding atop trains and are jolted off and onto the tracks where many are killed instantly by decapitation, blood loss, and shock . Because accidents often occur during the night and in rural areas, victims are often not found immediately. As with all migrant routes, those who use freight trains are subject to high rates of violence and property crime . Mexican states crossed by

95-456: Is Las Patronas in Veracruz . A government support service, called Grupos Beta , was also created to help migrants. Often, Grupos Beta ride along the train tracks and visit rest stops, where they provide medical aid and information to migrants. Essentially, they are a "mobile humanitarian unit [that] does not enforce the law." That is, their purpose is not to convince migrants to not ride

114-435: Is a 2009 documentary that follows the stories of children who have left their homes to go to the United States. The children, aged from 9 to 15, come from various countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico. They are unaccompanied, and the documentary focuses on the dangers of the trip, showing what happens to the children who fail to reach their destination and are returned to their countries of origin. Many of

133-564: Is home to many insects due to its pleasant weather all year round, with minimal fluctuation in temperature, ranging from 20-32 °C daily. Most notably, it serves as a significant habitat for the Mexican colonial orb-weaving spider, Metepeira incrassata . This article about a location in the Mexican state of Veracruz is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Freighthopping Freighthopping or trainhopping

152-676: Is still a network of train hoppers that occurs mostly online. It is estimated that yearly between 400,000 and 500,000 migrants—the majority of whom are from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—hop freight trains in the effort to reach the United States. The freight trains are known as La Bestia . In the Mauritania Railway , freighthoppers can ride with their cargo freely due to the lack of road between Zouérat and Nouadhibou . La Bestia La Bestia ("The Beast"), also known as El Tren de la Muerte ("The Train of Death") and El Tren de los Desconocidos ("The Train of

171-681: Is the act of surreptitiously boarding and riding a freightcar , which is usually illegal. Illegally hopping a ride on a private freight car began with the invention of the train. In the United States , freighthopping became a common means of transportation following the American Civil War as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among migrant workers who became known as " hobos ". It continued to be widely used by those unable to afford other transportation, especially during times of widespread economic dislocation such as

190-629: The Great Depression . The practice was heralded in popular culture of 20th century America with songs such as " King of the Road ", and films like Emperor of the North Pole . For a variety of reasons the practice is less common in the 21st century, although a community of freight-train riders still exists. Typically, hoppers will go to a rail yard where trains stop to pick up and unload freight and switch out crew. They will either board

209-666: The United States, and the difficulties they face along the way. The train was also featured in Al Jazeera America 's 2014 Borderland . We Are Not from Here , a young adult book written by American author Jenny Torres Sanchez depicts three unaccompanied teenagers from Guatemala taking the train in the search of safety and in hope of a better life. In 2023, the Youtuber Bald and Bankrupt posted an episode called Riding The World's Deadliest Train: The Beast where he travelled alongside families trying to reach

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228-662: The Unknowns"), is a freight train that starts its route in Chiapas state in southern Mexico, near the border of Guatemala . From there it travels north to the Lechería station on the outskirts of Mexico City , where it connects with a network of Mexican freight trains heading to different points on the U.S. border . It is estimated that each year, between 400,000 and 500,000 migrants, the majority of whom are from El Salvador , Guatemala, and Honduras , ride atop these trains in

247-545: The cars could bounce and rock violently if the track was rough, and rock ballast might be tossed up which could strike a rider. Riding outside a freight car, whether atop or underneath, is dangerous. Being in a loaded car with shifting, heavy cargo can also be dangerous. The 1944 Balvano train disaster in Italy involved hundreds of freighthoppers. Hopping trains happens all over the world and varies from place to place. Some places are more critical and consider freight hopping

266-467: The effort to reach the United States. Although these trains (which transport products and materials including corn , cement , and minerals ) are regarded as a free form of travel that allows migrants to avoid Mexico's numerous immigration checkpoints and 48 detention centers, the risks are high and many riders are left with life-altering injuries that limit their capacity to work. As of May 9, 2014, train operators have banned passengers from traveling on

285-618: The freight trains also experience very high rates of kidnapping . Due to fears of deportation, it is believed that the actual rates of such crimes are higher than reported. In 2023, Ferromex , one of the largest freight rail companies in Mexico, suspended operations of 60 trains to protect the safety of migrants, as thousands of migrants were attempting to ride the trains and putting their own lives at risk. Many Central American migrants receive aid from Mexican families and community members who provide migrants with food, shelter, clothes, and medicine despite their own poverty. One such group

304-468: The other films about the train, such as the 2005 documentary De Nadie ("About no one") and the 2009 thriller Sin nombre ("Nameless"), tell similar stories. Salvadoran journalist Óscar Martínez's book The Beast also depicts the hardships faced by migrants on their train journey to the United States. American author Jeanine Cummins 's novel American Dirt tells the story of several migrants who ride "La Bestia" through Mexico on their journey to

323-579: The train. Many of the dangers posed by this journey result from the train itself and the process of climbing aboard and getting off moving trains. Because migrants board between 10 and 15 trains during their 1450-mile journey, which typically begins in Arriaga, Chiapas , the chances of sustaining a major injury are high before they even arrive at the Lecherías station in Mexico City , which serves as

342-514: The trains to the border, rather their goal is simply to educate migrants about how to protect themselves throughout their journey. Apart from Grupos Beta, the Mexican Government has been criticized for its relaxed approach to the countless instances of rights violations and abuses regarding Central American migrants. "El Tren de la Muerte" has been depicted in literature, news articles, and in films and documentaries. Which Way Home

361-406: The underside of the car in order to provide it with the strength to carry heavy loads. There could be four or more of these truss rods under the car floor running the length of the car, and hobos would “ride the rods”. Some would carry a board to place across the rods to lie on. Others would lie on just one rod and hold on tightly. Riding the rods was very dangerous. When a train moved at high speed,

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