Migrant shelter priest kidnapped in Mexico border city

MEXICO CITY – An official in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas say a pastor who ran a migrant shelter has been kidnapped.

A Tamaulipas official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said Rev. Aarón Méndez was abducted Aug. 3 from the shelter he ran in the dangerous border city of Nuevo Laredo. The official said the abduction was reported to police several days later.

There was no immediate information on the identity of the kidnappers or their motive. But one migrant said Saturday the priest may have been snatched for trying to defend Cuban migrants who often have relatives in the United States and can be lucrative targets.

Méndez’s shelter housed some migrants who applied for U.S. asylum but were awaiting hearings in Mexico.