Migrants in Mexico More Vulnerable to Organized Crime

Migrants in Mexico More Vulnerable to Organized Crime
This Comes After Trump’s Return
Here Are the Details

Four weeks after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the situation for migrants at Mexico’s southern border has become even more critical.

Civil organizations have denounced that the restrictions imposed by the new U.S. administration have increased the vulnerability of those seeking to cross into the United States, leaving them at the mercy of organized crime.

Luis Alonso Abarca, coordinator of the Digna Ochoa Human Rights Committee, stated that criminal groups have found an opportunity to profit from the desperation of migrants.

«Closing borders and preventing regular migration only benefits organized crime,» he warned in statements to EFE.

Migrants in Mexico More Vulnerable to Organized Crime

Migrants, more vulnerable to organized crime in southern Mexico after Trump’s return https://t.co/ob2hfyysgv

— Periodistas Unidos (@Periodistasu) February 16, 2025

Since January 20, the Trump administration has implemented a series of measures to curb irregular migration. These include:

Deploying thousands of military personnel to the border
Eliminating the CBP One application, which allowed migrants to apply for asylum from Mexico
Enforcing mass deportation policies, affecting thousands of individuals

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned about the growing desperation among migrants, many of whom are attempting to move through Mexico on foot or by train, forming caravans in search of safety and humanitarian aid.

«Uncertainty is overwhelming hundreds of thousands of migrants across the country,» the organization stated in a recent report.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that since the start of Trump’s new term, 13,455 people have been deported, of which 2,970 were foreign nationals.

Sheinbaum has urged migrants not to be deceived by traffickers offering illegal crossings for large sums of money.

A Return Without Options

Migrants, more vulnerable to organized crime in southern Mexico after Trump’s return https://t.co/fwuxrlupdj

– Alejandro Meléndez @alexmelon.bsky.social (@Alexmelon) February 16, 2025

With tighter immigration policies, many migrants have chosen to return to their home countries, according to EFE.

At the same time, humanitarian organizations report that the Mexican government has intensified operations to detain and deport undocumented individuals.

Luis Rey García Villagrán, from the Center for Human Dignity (CDH), noted that authorities are conducting immigration raids in Tapachula, Mexico, transferring detained migrants to the borders with Honduras and Guatemala.

The outlook remains uncertain for thousands of people trapped in an increasingly restrictive immigration system, while organized crime continues to exploit their desperation.

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