Stringent controls endanger asylum seekers crossing Mexico

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - As migration continues to soar in the American hemisphere, the governments of Mexico and the US have toughened migrant control south of their shared border, which has carried a series of brunt consequences to asylum seekers moving through Mexican territory.

In recent months, the neighboring governments have held a number of meetings to tighten Mexican controls on migration under the name of "border security." Officials in Washington and Mexico City have acted accordingly, and through Mexican migration authorities and the military have attempted to curb migratory flows. However, such policies might have resulted in the persecution and harassment of migrants, leaving them vulnerable to corrupt officials and organized crime.

While migration from the south has grown steadily over the last few years, 2023 saw a dramatic and historic increase. By fall, migration in the Americas had surged 60%, and as the Migration Policy Institute reported, a total of 2.5. million migrant encounters were reported along the US-Mexico border by the end of fiscal year 2023.

According to Alejandra Conde, the coordinator for Area 72, a civil organization and migrant shelter in Tabasco, southeastern Mexico, the new year has shown no decline from the long-standing trend.

"It is true these are not the flows of a year ago. They are almost twice as high," Conde told Anadolu.

As Tabasco is at the center of the "gulf route," one of the most transited migratory trails that extend from Chiapas, a state bordering Guatemala, along the east coast of Mexico to the US border, Conde and Area 72 have borne witness to the dire situation of asylum seekers and migration policy in Mexico.

"The Mexican government slogan of 'safe and orderly migration' implies that there are going to be more detentions, more presence of armed security agencies like the National Guard," said Conde. "This militarization, this security deployment, what causes them to be more vulnerable in terms of transit, (means) they are more likely to be victims of a crime, either by organized crime or common delinquency."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has reinforced immigration patrols by deploying military troops. Specifically, Mexico's immigration policy has relied on the National Guard, whose role in the detention of migrants grew sharply.

Lopez Obrador is on the fast track to becoming the president with the most migrant detentions in Mexico. By October 2023, his government had detained 413,000 undocumented migrants, the largest number since 2001, when registration began, and 31% higher than in 2022.

While the governments of Mexico and the United States congratulate each other on their joint efforts to stem migration flows, Mexican territory appears to be growing more dangerous for those attempting to cross it.

Born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Juan Garcia moved to Mexico over three years ago. Having crossed both borders in Mexico, he would soon help others like him navigate through the mined landscape toward the Mexican-US border.

"I just guide them," says the 40-year-old, whose services are free of charge.

- Breeding corruption

Juan has witnessed the dramatic shift in the Mexican migratory policy, noticing an increase in migratory controls and those looking to prey on vulnerable travelers.

"The most corrupt is the National Guard; they took me off the bus and took just about all my money," said Juan.

The corruption of the civil and military police has been well-documented in the country. Members of the National Guard have been accused of extorting money from drivers and travelers on the country's highways, which they guard. According to Juan, this security force has taken the most advantage of the migrants' situation.

"They don't even ask you for your papers because I waited for them to ask me for my documents, and they didn't ask me for anything. The only thing they do is get you off the bus, and they tell you to 'cooperate,' like a bribe," says Juan.

The heightened immigration controls and the presence of the National Guard have led migrants to seek alternate routes, which are targeted by criminal groups.

"In the middle of darkness, they stopped the bus, turned off the lights, and got on the bus with some lamps to ask for ‘quotas’ to let us continue, like a robbery. They were hooded and carried firearms. Even if you had a permanent visa, it wasn’t worth anything, and whoever didn’t cooperate was taken off the bus and taken away," said Juan.

By December 2023, US border authorities reported around 10,000 migrant encounters a day. The inflow of undocumented migrants has taken a toll on the US political fabric. While President Joe Biden has faced fierce criticism from his Republican opponents and civil groups, the Democrat leader vowed to "shut down" the US border to control the migrant crisis if given the authority under proposed legislation which Congress turned down this week.

Biden's pledges have drawn alarm among shelters and NGOs like Area 72, who are waiting to see the impact of the US policy in Mexico.

"Right now, we are waiting to see what will happen. As far as immigration policy is concerned, I do not know how the Mexican state is going to act, but something quite true is that mobility never ends.

“Migrants, because of the situations in their countries, want to move, and in the end, the duty of each state should be to guarantee that right, the right to mobility. With the least possible fear, guaranteeing their safety," says Conde.