Chicago – December 04, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, when he has vowed to scrap a slew of programs that have allowed migrants to enter the U.S. legally – including the government app that many migrants are using to try to get their appointment.
Organized crime has established extensive human trafficking networks across Mexico, making the journey north through the country treacherous. Mexico is plagued by violence, with around 30,000 people murdered a year and over 100,000 people officially registered as missing.
Many migrants are extorted, beaten, raped, forced to commit crimes, and even killed. Mexican government attempts to slow the arrival of migrants at the U.S. border, by busing and flying non-Mexican migrants to the country’s south, add to the risk.
Mexico’s presidency and National Migration Institute did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The International Organization for Migration told Reuters that in the last seven years, it has assisted several thousand migrants — especially Central Americans — return voluntarily from Mexico to their home countries, including victims of violence. However, it declined to provide specific figures.
A dozen migrants interviewed in Mexico by Reuters said they would prefer to return to their countries despite the ongoing issues that drove them to migrate, such as poverty, lack of employment, insecurity, and political crises.
