22 Haitians and Cubans abducted from a hotel in Mexico found alive

Mexican authorities said 38 people were abducted from a hotel, including 22 foreigners. The kidnapping took place at a hotel in downtown Matehuala early Tuesday.

The chief official of the northern state of San Luis Potosi stated the victims were recovered alive from the streets on Tuesday, apparently given up by their prisoners.

Official Federico Garza Herrera stated the group included 16 Mexicans and 22 foreigners, including three children and pregnant women.

It was not instantly clear whether the 22 foreigners were asylum seekers or migrants. Primary investigations also revealed that some were Venezuelans. Immigration authorities reviewed their status in the country as they worked to prove the motivation behind the abduction.

Prosecutors said three SUVs with armed men arrived at the Sol y Luna Hotel before sunrise and abducted guests.

Some of the victim identification documents were found in rooms. The abductors apparently also took the hotel's guest record.

The victims were later found by the National Guard and police on the street outside Matehuala after a caller stated a group of people had requested help on the road.

Many asylum seekers and migrants hoping to reach the United States pose a major threat along the way, with kidnapping, extortion, rape and even murders reported. Some are listed to work for drug cartels fighting over drug trafficking scams.

These people often carry the stream of fighting between criminal groups, with gangs often charging smugglers a tax per person brought through their territory.

Rival gangs also sometimes hijack simple groups of asylum seekers and migrants from other traders.

In June, the New York-based Human Rights First Organization reported about 3,300 asylum seekers and migrants stranded in Mexico since January were abducted, raped, trafficked or assaulted because of a U.S. border policy.