Mexican police discovered a 2-year-old kid alone besides an overloaded vehicle carrying more than 100 migrants in stifling conditions on Monday, according to the national immigration institute.
A slightly blurred image issued in a statement from the institution shows the kid standing alone, surrounded by a handful of packed foods, half-empty water bottles, clothing from previous migrants, and black garbage bags scattered on the ground.
In the picture, the boy appeared to be holding his face in his hands. Another image apparently taken later showed him dressed and in the care of state authorities.
Most of the travelers fled before authorities arrived at the scene, but eight Central American adults who remained behind described the situation and said the migrants had demanded the driver stop after several fainted from dehydration and lack of air, the institute said in a statement.
“None of the adults said that they were a family member of the minor,” according to the statement, which also stated that police were in contact with the Guatemalan embassy since the boy may be from that country.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, thousands of Central American children have crossed illegally from Mexico into the United States without their parents this year.
Last week, US Vice President Kamala Harris visited a border patrol station along the US-Mexico border, where she advocated a focus on children and sensible migration solutions.