20,000 Babies Trafficked Annually at US-Mexico Border

Northern Border of Mexico — On the border between Mexico and the United States, where narcotrafficking violence has marked generations, a new and chilling crime has emerged: the trafficking of babies. In Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, the cartel La Línea, the armed wing of the Juárez Cartel, has been implicated as responsible for a criminal network that deceives pregnant women, subjects them to clandestine cesarean sections, and sells their newborns, primarily to buyers in the United States.

A Macabre Network on the Mexican Border

In early September 2025, the arrest of Martha Alicia “N,” alias “La Diabla,” uncovered a baby trafficking ring operated by La Línea. According to journalist Luis Chaparro, who revealed the case on his program Pie de Nota with information from a Texas-based investigation agency, the network recruited pregnant women in vulnerable situations with false promises of employment in criminal activities, such as drug distribution or money laundering.

Once lured to private residences, the victims were deprived of their liberty, subjected to illegal cesarean sections without sanitary conditions, and, in many cases, murdered. The babies were sold for approximately 250,000 pesos (about $13,400) to buyers, allegedly American homosexual couples, who transported them across the border.

The orders for this network came from the Federal Center for Social Readaptation (Cefereso) No. 3 in Ciudad Juárez, where the husband and son of “La Diabla” are incarcerated. Despite the arrest, a control judge decided not to formally charge “La Diabla” with human trafficking, arguing that homicide is not contemplated in the legal definition of that crime. However, she was rearrested for aggravated femicide and attempted homicide, related to cases such as that of Leslie Godínez Carrillo, a 20-year-old young woman murdered in July 2025 whose baby was extracted from her womb, and Dayana Kamila Llaguno González, a 17-year-old from Nuevo Mexico.

Criminal Cruelty of Minor Trafficking and Its Scope

La Línea’s scheme is particularly brutal. Women were contacted under false pretenses, taken to safe houses, and subjected to rudimentary cesarean sections, which frequently resulted in their death. The bodies were clandestinely buried on the same premises, while the babies were handed over to buyers in Ciudad Juárez to avoid risks during border crossings. So far, fewer than five cases have been confirmed, but authorities fear the number is higher.

This criminal activity emerged as a diversification strategy for La Línea, which faced restrictions in other crimes, such as the kidnapping of businesspeople, due to binational operations. Baby trafficking, less visible and harder to detect, became a macabre source of income.

The trafficking of minors is a persistent problem on the Mexico-U.S. border. According to a 2023 report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mexico is one of the main countries of origin, transit, and destination for trafficking victims, with an estimated 20,000 minors trafficked globally each year. In 2024, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 12 cases of minor trafficking on the border, including a foiled attempt in California where a driver was transporting a baby without knowing its identity.

In Chihuahua, the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) reported 47 cases of human trafficking between 2020 and 2024, though it does not specify how many involved babies. The lack of specific data reflects the difficulty of tracking this crime, which operates in the shadows and exploits the vulnerability of women in contexts of poverty and violence.

Voices Warning of the Atrocious Phenomenon

Dr. Elena Azaola, an anthropologist and expert on organized crime in Mexico, points out that baby trafficking is an evolution of cartel activities, which seek to diversify their income in the face of pressure from authorities. “Cartels like La Línea exploit any opportunity for profit, regardless of the human cost. The border, with its porosity and corruption, is fertile ground for these crimes,” states Azaola. She emphasizes that impunity, as in the initial release of “La Diabla,” perpetuates these networks.

For his part, John Scott, a security analyst at the University of Texas at El Paso, underscores binational collaboration as key to combating human trafficking. “The information shared by agencies in Texas was crucial to identifying this network. However, corruption in the Mexican judicial system and operations from within prisons complicate a complete dismantling,” explains Scott.

On social media, particularly on X, the case has generated a mix of indignation and confusion. Users like @MONYRODRIGUEZOF have expressed concern over the impunity, while others, such as @Mr_Civico and @Diariodenarco, have attributed the baby trafficking to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), based on a report by journalist Katarina Szulc. The narrative that the babies were sold to “American homosexual couples” has also generated controversy, as no details have been provided on how the buyers were identified, which could fuel stigmas without solid evidence.

U.S. Provides Evidence, Mexico Ignores It

The case of La Línea exposes the social decay in Ciudad Juárez, a city marked by femicides and violence. The exploitation of pregnant women reflects the vulnerability of this group in contexts of poverty and organized crime. The initial release of “La Diabla” and the operation from within Cefereso No. 3 evidence structural failures in the Mexican judicial and penitentiary system, where corruption and impunity allow the continuity of these networks.

Furthermore, binational collaboration, though crucial, faces obstacles. While agencies in Texas provided key evidence, the lack of effective action in Mexico, such as the initial decision not to press charges, jeopardizes progress. The diversification of cartels into crimes like baby trafficking requires specific strategies, including digital intelligence to track possible connections on the dark web and greater international cooperation to close smuggling routes.

Baby trafficking in Ciudad Juárez is a reminder of the brutality of organized crime and the urgency of addressing the institutional failures that facilitate it. La Línea, by turning human life into merchandise, exposes the need for comprehensive policies that combine security, justice, and social protection. The outrage on social media must translate into pressure for authorities to act with transparency and efficacy. As long as La Línea’s network remains active, every day lost is an opportunity for more women and babies to fall victim to this horror on the border.