Associated Press | December 28, 2007

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico is going high tech to better track the movements of Central Americans who regularly cross the southern border to work or visit.

Starting in March, the National Immigration Institute will distribute cards containing electronic chips.

Those items will record every arrival and departure of so-called temporary workers and visitors, mostly from Guatemala.

The cards will replace a non-electronic pass formerly given to area residents.

Officials say the purpose is to guarantee security for workers and visitors.

Statistics from the institute show that more than 182,000 undocumented migrants were detained in Mexico in 2006. Most were Central Americans from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador en route to the U.S.