‘What if We Stay in Mexico?’ With Chances in the US Dashed, Migrants Make New Lives South of Border
BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO, JUL 14 – Nearly 80% of nearly 20,000 asylum seekers in Baja California held jobs last year despite limited housing and safety challenges, UNHCR data shows.
- Nearly 80,000 asylum seekers arrived in Mexico last year, with many deciding to build new lives in Tijuana and Baja California.
- This shift followed U.S. policy changes including the Trump administration's shutdown of asylum appointment processes, limiting legal entry options.
- Tijuana attracts refugees due to more accessible asylum procedures in Mexico, but migrants face challenges like high rents and public safety concerns.
- UNHCR data shows about 20,000 asylum seekers in Baja California, nearly half Haitian, with 80% employed despite discrimination and safety fears reported by 63% of Tijuana residents.
- These conditions indicate Mexico is becoming a final destination for migrants, creating new social and economic dynamics distinct from prior migration patterns.
18 Articles
18 Articles

‘What if we stay in Mexico?’ With chances in the US dashed, migrants make new lives south of border
The plan had always been to seek asylum in the U.S. But somewhere on the journey between their home in El Salvador and the northern Mexico border, Wilver Arteaga and his family realized there was no way. The strong rhetoric around President Donald Trump’s immigration policies was becoming reality, and on his first day in office, he shut down the legal appointment process for migrants to be screened for asylum. Arteaga, 40, and his wife used to b…
As U.S. Closes Doors, Migrants Build Lives in Mexico
Official data from the U.S. and Mexican governments and the United Nations show a sharp shift in migration across the Americas since early 2024. With the U.S. enforcing much tougher border controls and asylum restrictions, the number of people caught trying to cross from Mexico into the U.S. has dropped by over 90% in the […]
‘What if we stay in Mexico?’ With chances in the U.S. dashed, migrants make new lives south of border
The plan had always been to seek asylum in the U.S. But somewhere on the journey between their home in El Salvador and the northern Mexico border, Wilver Arteaga and his family realized there was no way. The strong rhetoric around President Donald Trump’s immigration policies was becoming reality, and on his first day in office, he shut down the legal appointment process for migrants to be screened for asylum. Arteaga, 40, and his wife used to b…
Earlier this year, Yaneth and her family (Venezuelan migrants) headed to Nogales, Sonora, for their asylum application in the United States, only to discover that the Trump administration had closed the CBP One route.
Since 2020, Célia ( name fiction) has been waiting with her husband and children for the conclusion of the asylum application and, as well as in Trump's first mandate, she is afraid that they will all be deported.
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