An extended Mexican family crossed into the US this weekend, seeking asylum after threats from suspected criminals forced them to flee their avocado farm. This underscores how lawlessness in Mexico pushes many to leave.
Migrant advocacy group Al Otro Lado reported that 32 members of the Peña family fled their homes in western Michoacan state seven months after receiving violent threats from unspecified cartel members. They left the Mexican border city of Tijuana on Sunday night, hoping to eventually reunite with family already in the United States, the group added.
Despite avocados' status as a key Mexican farm export to US buyers, extreme violence in the heart of the fruit's major growing area in Michoacan, plus Guerrero and Zacatecas states, has often disrupted the $2.8 billion avocado business.
Source: reuters.com