Migrant shelters delift their crisis in the face of a serious support of support

Jessica Xantomila and Emir Olivares

La Jornada newspaper
Monday, April 21, 2025, p. 4

The shelters and civil organizations that provide refuge and assistance in Mexico to people who have fled violence in their countries are indirect victims of the budget cut that the United States applies to international assistance. Asylum Access Mexico, Saltillo Migrant and Casa Frida LGBT shelter are some of those who already suffer from the lack of resources, evident with the closure of offices and services, as well as staff layoffs.

Up to 70 percent of the budget of these spaces comes from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other instances, which now receive less support before the decline in their financing by the administration of Donald Trump.

UNHCR only supports around 140 shelters throughout the country, resources with which in addition to providing refuge and food, there are sicosocial care services and accompaniment to families, children and women victims of various violence.

US government decisions They put real human lives of migrants who come to Mexico looking for a safe placesaid Lucía Chávez, director of ASYLUM ACCESS Mexico, which facilitates legal help and integration to refuge applicants.

In his case, he declared, the organization will be forced to close three of its six offices: in Tenosique, Tabasco; Palenque, Chiapas, and Monterrey, Nuevo León, and to unsubscribe almost half of his team, which will be effective at the end of April.

He explained in an interview that 70 percent of his funds came from UNHCR. It is extremely worrying, he accepted that by political decisions in the United States The entire humanitarian work system is coming down globally.

He explained that three weeks ago Asylum Access and other organizations were notified about the termination of subsidies. Last January We receive 40 percent of the fund assigned for all 2025, but there will be no other additional resource, that is, the 60 percent we were contemplating to finish the year will no longer exist.

The Saltillo migrant house, in Coahuila, is among the affected shelters. Its director, Alberto Xicoténcatl, explained that the loss of resources has been A quick but gradual process. From before Trump arrived at the White House two of the financiers who supported them They decided to leave.

They continued working with UNHCR support, but in this April the resources decreased, while the IOM – which above all provided them with support in kind, such as food – He informed us that he runs out of the possibility of following him.

This, he mentioned, has had serious impacts, particularly in the legal area to help people in refuge application, migratory and complaints before the National and State Human Rights and Prosecutor’s commissions, as well as in the accompaniment to access various services, especially health and link to work.

None of the areas is eliminated, but the number of people who can benefit is reducedhe pointed out.

Alberto Xicoténcatl indicated that in the face of the economic situation they are going through, It would be very naive To think that civil society and the business community can reverse the effects, but humanitarian support is fundamental.

Regarding whether there could be support from the federal government, it made it clear that since the last administration All social coinversion projects were eliminated. In the two recent six years We have survived thanks to international support and the help of local and business societies.

Raúl Caporal, president of the Council for Casa Frida LGBT refuge, said that in his case the financing that has been lost has been 60 percent of the 2025 budget. He mentioned that mainly received resources from the United States Department of the State, UNHCR, of the IIM and the US Agency for International Development.