▲ Many ask for official permits to stay here. In the image, migrant caravan heading to the country’s capital.Photo Edgar H. Clemente
Jessica Xanthomila
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, December 28, 2025, p. 3
The number of migrants who have been forced to remain in Mexico for prolonged periods continues to increase, following the tightening of United States immigration policies. However, the majority of this population does not have a document that legalizes their situation in Mexican territory, according to a survey carried out by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Of a total of 548 foreigners, 80 percent said they had been in the country for more than half a year, while between April and May this sector represented 62 percent. Likewise, in the last survey, 72 percent stated that they did not have a stay permit and 26 percent mentioned that they had tried to return to their country, without success.
Migrants surveyed in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; Mexicali and Tijuana, Baja California; Mexico City, and Tapachula, Chiapas, are mostly from Venezuela (26 percent), Honduras (17 percent), Cuba (12 percent), Haiti (11 percent), Guatemala (7 percent) and Colombia (6 percent).
68 percent indicated that they intend to remain in Mexico, 22 percent to return to their country, 3 percent to continue their trip to the United States and 6 percent to move to another nation.
As for those who intend to return to their countries, the survey showed that the reason is due to family reunification, lack of employment in Mexico or insufficient income, lack of immigration regularization, difficulty adapting to the country and insecurity.
The IOM information, based on work carried out between September and October 2025 in shelters, assistance centers, informal camps and entry points to the country, showed that 77 percent of travelers began their migratory journey from their country of origin, while the rest did so from a third nation. The main reasons for leaving their homes were socioeconomic conditions (51 percent), insecurity and violence (39 percent) and political reasons (22 percent).
Also, low wages (11 percent), lack of job opportunities (10 percent), family reunification (8 percent) and limited access to services (5 percent).
Although 59 percent said that their destination at the beginning of their trip was the United States and 34 percent Mexico, their decisions changed due to immigration entry procedures, the change in United States immigration policies – after the arrival of President Donald Trump in January 2025 –, the fear of deportation, the cost of the trip, health care, travel time and family reunification.
