Two trucks were rolling down a back road before dawn in Comitan, in Chiapas state, when patrol officers stopped them; the two drivers fled the scene and officers detained the 55, who were all in good health, police said.

All in the group of 55 will be repatriated, the National Immigration Institute (INM) said.

Thousands of immigrants pass through Chiapas every year, most coming from Central and South America, aiming to pass through Mexico to the United States.

Authorities stopped more than 40,000 in Chiapas state alone in 2008, from 48 countries including some in Asia and Africa, INM data show.

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