A California couple, Gloria Ambriz, 50, and Rafael Cardona, 53, were tragically killed in a shooting while vacationing in Michoacán, Mexico. The attack occurred late Wednesday in the Lázaro Cárdenas neighborhood of Angamacutiro, as the couple traveled in a black 2016 Ford Platinum pickup truck with Querétaro license plates.
Ambriz was pronounced dead at the scene, while Cardona died shortly after being transported to a hospital in Puruándiro. Mexican authorities have launched an investigation, recovering ballistic evidence and assembling a team of prosecutors, police, and forensic experts to determine the motive and identify the perpetrators.
This incident highlights ongoing concerns about tourist safety in Mexico, particularly in states like Michoacán, which, despite its cultural and scenic appeal, faces high levels of violence linked to organized crime. Further details about the victims have not been released.
Last year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the U.S.-Mexico border became the deadliest land route for migrants worldwide in 2022 under President Joe Biden’s administration.
With 686 deaths and disappearances documented, this figure makes up almost half of the total 1,457 migrant deaths and disappearances recorded across the Americas last year.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Michele Klein Solomon, IOM Regional Director for Central and North America and the Caribbean stated, “These alarming figures are a stark reminder of the need for decisive action by States.”
She further emphasized the urgent necessity for enhanced data collection, arguing, “Ultimately, what is needed is for countries to act on the data to ensure safe, regular migration routes are accessible.”
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project (MMP) annual overview, 2022 has seen the highest migrant death toll since the project’s inception in 2014.
The report further suggests that these figures are possibly an underrepresentation of the actual numbers due to “lack of data from official sources.”
Though there was a 6% reduction in deaths and disappearances on the U.S.-Mexico border from the previous year, the actual figures for 2022 are suspected to be higher.
