Migrants fear being stranded at the southern border of Mexico after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential elections. Although the government of Claudia Sheinbaum promises employment opportunities and industrial development despite migration restrictions, concern is growing in places like Tapachula, the main city on the border with Central America.
Pablo Carrera, an Ecuadorian migrant, expressed his unease about the possibility that the Mexican government will restrict the transit of foreigners after Trump's victory last week. Carrera mentioned to EFE: 'As a person, as a human being, we should be given free transit to continue advancing to the border; we left our country with that goal, but there is a lot of degradation towards migrants.'
In October, on the first day of Sheinbaum's mandate, Mexican military killed six migrants from Egypt, El Salvador, and Peru in Chiapas, a state on the southern border. The deployment of 36,000 military personnel for migration tasks in the previous government created tensions in the region. Additionally, a study indicated that almost 92% of residents in the southern border perceive insecurity due to organized crime violence.
Sheinbaum assured that there is a 'humanitarian' strategy, of investments and industrial development to address migration at the southern border. Her government reported a 76% decrease in the daily detention of migrants at the border with the United States since last December. The next head of the Southern Border Secretariat of the Government of Chiapas, María Amalia Toriello, promised opportunities for migrants and development in the area.
Despite the decrease in the detention of undocumented individuals at the border with the United States, the number of irregular migrants crossing Mexico has increased significantly. Activists like Rafael Alegría López are urging the new government of Mexico to guarantee the rights of migrants and offer measures to protect them. López highlighted the importance of providing opportunities for those seeking a life in Mexico and improving immigration access control.
