Sawt Falasteen - Trump crackdown spurs migrants to seek refuge in Mexico

The 24-year-old Cuban arrived in Mexico less than two weeks before Trump took office on January 20 and almost immediately halted access to an app introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden to help process claims for entering the United States.

"I was in shock," Dominguez said.

"I thought about my family in Cuba who were hoping I could get to the United States. Then I had to think about plan B," she told AFP.

The alternative she decided on was to stay in Mexico and obtain refuge status.

She went to an office of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) in a Mexico City suburb that is busy dealing with migrants seeking asylum in the Latin American nation.

Venezuelans, Cubans and other foreigners fleeing poverty, violence and political persecution wait in line for days to begin the process.

Juan Carmona, a 50-year-old Venezuelan mechanic, decided to stay in Mexico with his wife because they were unable to reach the United States.

"We decided on Mexico. We liked it a lot and for now we want to do this in the best way possible, completely legally, not to become undocumented," he said.

In 2024, Mexico granted refuge to more than 26,800 foreigners, according to official figures.

Migrants seeking assistance from the Mexican refugee agency have been waiting for days, some outdoors or sleeping in tents.

Others are on waiting lists operated by the migrants themselves.

- 'Things are not good' -

In the southern city of Tapachula, long queues have also formed outside the COMAR offices as migrants wait under the gaze of soldiers guarding the building.

Many of the migrants had -- or were requesting -- appointments with US authorities through the CBP One app.

But now they see seeking asylum in Mexico as their best option for the moment.

"We're here to see if we can work while we're here or to make a life here. Things are not good," says Jose Ricardo Moreno, a 60-year-old Cuban who is traveling with his wife and 22-year-old daughter.

Before Trump took office, Moreno was given an asylum appointment in the United States for February 2, but he lost it when CBP One was axed.

Janqui Martin, a 43-year-old Cuban doctor, said he was tired of moving between countries and decided to stay in Mexico.

"Mexico has welcomed us, opened the door to us and we have the possibility of working," said Martin, who left his wife and 12-year-old daughter in Cuba.

On his first day back in office, Trump declared a national emergency at the US southern border and vowed to deport "millions and millions" of migrants.

His administration said it would also reinstate a "Remain in Mexico" policy that prevailed during Trump's first term, under which people who apply to enter the United States from Mexico must remain there until their application has been decided.

The White House has also halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.

Trump's office additionally said he had ordered 1,500 more military personnel to the border.

Shakira Chaparro, a 29-year-old Venezuelan waiting in the border city of Tijuana, said that crossing over illegally was now too risky.

"The best option is to stay here, find a way to get a permit to stay for a while or return to our country," she said.

A.Suleiman--SF-PST