Two kidnapped Americans were found dead in Mexico, two more alive

Mexican officials on Tuesday confirmed the deaths of two of the four Americans kidnapped over the weekend in the border city of Matamoros. One of the two living Americans was wounded, said Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal. The two survivors were transported to Brownsville, Texas. Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that the Americans were in Mexico to buy medicine—a family member said one of the victims hoped to receive minor cosmetic surgery.

Why were the Americans kidnapped? Obrador said that the Americans stumbled into an altercation between two armed groups. Video footage showed gunmen involved in the altercation forcing the four Americans out of their van and into another vehicle. A Mexican woman was also killed in the crossfire, officials said.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in Compassion about the Biden administration’s plans to address illegal immigration at the Southern border.