Asylum-seekers in Mexico are facing new challenges and uncertainties after President Donald Trump‘s recent border crackdown. Many migrants, like Dayana Castro, are determined to continue their journey to the US despite the cancellation of their asylum appointments.
Castro, a 25-year-old migrant from Venezuela, had waited over a year for her US asylum appointment, which was suddenly canceled when Trump took office. Along with her husband and their two young children, she had already endured a perilous journey through the Darien Gap jungle and faced criminal groups targeting migrants. Despite the setback, Castro remains resolute: “We’re going to keep going. We can’t go home after all we’ve been through.”
Tens of thousands of migrants across Mexico had appointments to apply for US asylum scheduled through February. However, Trump’s executive orders, which aimed to strengthen border security and reduce migration, abruptly ended these appointments. One significant change was the discontinuation of the CBP One app, which had allowed nearly 1 million people, many seeking asylum, to legally enter the US since January 2023.
Now, migrants are adapting to a new and uncertain reality. Many are resorting to more dangerous methods to reach the US, such as riding freight trains, hiring smugglers, and evading authorities. Some are seeking asylum in Mexico, while others are considering returning to their home countries.
On Monday, Trump declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and announced plans to send US troops, restrict refugees, and limit asylum. He aims to halt illegal entry and border crime. While these measures have led to a drop in illegal crossings in recent months, they have also created humanitarian concerns.
Adam Isacson, a defense oversight analyst for the Washington Office on Latin America, warned that Trump’s crackdown will have cascading consequences. People with valid asylum claims may be forced to remain in dangerous situations in their home countries, while migrants who cannot return home may become more vulnerable. Isacson and other analysts predict that Trump’s policies will increase the demand for smugglers and push migrants to take greater risks.
Castro, now aware that continuing her journey after her canceled appointment could endanger her family, faces a difficult choice. She must weigh the risks of encountering cartels, migration police, and other dangers against the possibility of never reaching the US. “There’s the train, the cartels, migration police, and they all make you pay them,” she said. “But if we don’t put ourselves at risk, we’ll never arrive.”
In Tapachula, along Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala, Cuban migrant Rosalí Martínez took a different approach. She joined an increasing number of migrants seeking asylum in Mexico, either temporarily due to changing US policies or more permanently. Martínez, who fled Cuba’s economic crisis with her child, said, “I’m going to stay here and see what happens. I’ll become a Mexican citizen, but there’s no way I’m going back to Cuba.”
Trump’s policies have also forced some migrants to consider returning to their home countries without a clear pathway or resources. Enrique Vidal Olascoaga, director of the Fray Matías de Córdova human rights center in Tapachula, noted that many are now asking about ways to return home.
Jomaris Figuera, 42, and her husband, who fled Venezuela’s economic and political crises, are among those considering giving up. After waiting nearly a year and a half for a legal pathway to the US, they now face the reality of returning to Venezuela without passports or money. “It’s like abandoning everything after everything that’s happened to us,” Figuera said. “But after trying to get an appointment, and this happens, we’ve given up.
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