- Most asylum requests came from Hondurans, Cubans and Haitians, who are living in makeshift camps while they await approval of their applications. On the border with the United States, there was also a drop in the number of migrants detained.
The Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) reported on July 12 that refugee status applications from migrants were down 32% compared to the first four months of 2023. It indicated that between January and April 2024, 10,148 requests were received.
The institution, which is part of the Mexican Ministry of the Interior, said that Honduran migrants were in first place with 17,441 asylum applications, followed by Cubans with 8,833 applications. Other nationalities that also led the applications at the border with Guatemala were Haitians and Salvadorans.
“Despite this decline, we are continuing at the same pace during this government” (2018-2024, headed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador), a Comar official on the southern border told the EFE agency, asking not to be identified.
Only in the country
In Tapachula, the main city that concentrates the largest number of asylum applications in Mexico, one of the procedures that has remained unchanged has been the eligibility and analysis interviews, which serve to achieve a resolution and determine whether or not refugee status is recognized.
Nain Lobo, a Honduran migrant, arrived in Tapachula four months ago when there were between 1,000 and 2,000 people a day completing their paperwork. “Since I’ve been doing my paperwork, the number of people has decreased, almost no one comes. Maybe they’re looking for the train or they have other routes. I don’t know, I only know up to here. I’ve never been to Mexico before. I know that they look for other routes, for example on the train they call the Beast or with coyotes (traffickers) as we say,” he explained.
Four weeks ago there were groups of 50 families who came to sleep inside the perimeter of the Comar offices, but lately the presence of asylum seekers has dropped to 90%, as they do not have to wait for the procedures offered by the institution.
This migrant, who sells food from his country, has his shop near the Comar and runs it with his wife. He said that the commission only provides refuge for people who want to settle in Mexico, as in his case, who fled due to the risk of maras and criminal gangs.
Reduction at the border
Just 50 meters away in an improvised camp, there is the tent of Dilver Enrique Contreras, who is also seeking the paperwork. “In recent weeks, there have been very few people, it has decreased a lot, mostly for shelter, the process is a bit long and it takes six months to get a resolution,” he explained.
In total figures per year, Comar reported 140,831 requests in 2023 and 119,083 in 2022. According to the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP), some 324,000 citizens of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador arrived at the southern border of the United States in 2023, which represents a 29% reduction compared to 2021.
Migration in Mexico has been increasing since October 2018, when caravans with thousands of migrants, mostly Central Americans, began to enter with the aim of crossing the country to reach the United States. The arrival of migrants has continued in recent years despite the pandemic and the restrictions imposed by countries in the region.
With information from EFE
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2024-07-13 08:09:16
