The Mexican authorities need to ascertain whether or not any state officials, including those working for the state-owned train operator, were complicit with the criminal organization that carried out the abductions and extortion, both in this and other cases.

The human rights environment in Mexico has deteriorated significantly over the past decade, as the Mexican Drug War [LAT backgrounder] has increased in severity. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) set up an office in Mexico in 2002 and since that time has released numerous reports [OHCHR database] documenting Mexico's struggle in the areas of education, rights of indigenous people and immigrant rights. While Mexico has condemned [JURIST report] Arizona's attempts to curb immigration into the US through the controversial SB 1070 [bill materials; JURIST news archive], activists believe that Mexican immigration laws are even more restrictive [UPI report], and that immigrants to Mexico routinely face abuse and harassment [AI report, PDF].