Though hundreds of thousands of Central Americans pour into Mexico each year—Mexico’s National Institute of Migration estimates 250,000 annually—those who walk this road know each other: Los Zetas know the polleros, the polleros know the assailants, the assailants know who works at migrant shelters, and those who work at the migrant shelter know the municipal authorities. Ismael—a fictional name—is a local and has worked at the nearby migrant shelter for two years now. Previously he had a gig that forced him to get to know the inner workings of organized crime.
