Romanian criminals are paying $2000 to be smuggled out of the US and into Mexico, fearing deportation under Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal migrants.
Romanian gang members now face losing everything if they are caught by enforcement agents, with increasing numbers of migrants being picked off the street and deported.
Instead the criminals are taking a $2,000 financial hit to be smuggled out of the US, using the same guides who took them in, to enable a safe route back home.
Romanian gangs began migrating to the US in large numbers in the early 2000s, often entering with the help of Mexican guides.
The migrants would often protest that they were persecuted for political reasons in the former communist country of Romania and claim asylum in the US, Gândul reported.
In the years until a decision was made on an asylum claim, the Romanian migrants would often enter criminal organisations.
The criminals would be careful not to commit acts of violence, which were more likely to see them arrested, instead focusing on thefts and card cloning to accumulate huge sums of money over long periods of time.
Once the criminals were finally caught, they were often able to negotiate small sentences by pleading guilty. They would then be deported to a European Union state.
Romanian criminals are now paying Mexican gangs to smuggle them out of the US
Fearing deportation and losing their money if they get deported, the Romanians are turning to Mexico where they can safely return to Romania
It comes after President Trump launched a crackdown on illegal migration in the US
In recent years, some of the leaders of the Romanian underworld have fraudulently entered the US and quickly had access to a lifestyle of luxury.
However police sources said that after Donald Trump took office, authorities began a serious crackdown on illegal migration, with migrants being picked off the street and deported.
Now the Mexican guides who had helped migrants cross into the US are now being used to leave the US fraudulently and enter Mexico.
The criminal groups have also used the guides in order to protect the money earned from illegal activities.
Sources say that the migrants will meet the guides in Los Angeles and pay $2000 to be taken to the border area. From there they taken across the border and driven to the city of Tijuana.
The criminals then visit the Romanian embassy in Mexico where they tell officials that they have lost their documents. They are then issued with a document which allows them to return to Europe.
Sources have said that although the Mexican gangs know the criminals they are guiding are carrying large amounts of money on their person, they are not robbed because it would ruin the market for smuggling people in and out of the US.
