Mexico has gone from a transit country to a destination

Havana, April 9 (RHC) - The Mexican government has expelled fewer migrants and the flow is expected to pick up, an expert said in an interview with the Excelsior newspaper.

Eunice Rendón, an expert in migration, explained to the newspaper that Mexico has gone from a transit country to a destination and this will cause a rebound in the number of people who will enter the country with the purpose of staying.

From January to February, 12,248 people from the Americas were deported, 25 percent less than the average number of expelled in the first two months of the last six years (16,395), he said, citing data from the National Institute of Migration.

Added to this are record numbers of foreigners in an irregular situation, which as of February were 70,526, 48 percent more than in the same period in 2022. This is due, he assured, to limiting US policies such as Title 42, which endorses the immediate expulsion of those who cross illegally.

The extinction of this policy, scheduled for May, would cause an increase in flows in the coming months, since migrants will believe that they will be able to enter the United States, although this will not be the case, he explained.

Rendón also highlighted the high number of refugee applications that migrants process in Mexico, of more than 100,000 per year in recent times, when in 2014 there were only 3,500.

Although migratory flows remain high and the number of foreigners in an irregular situation reached historic levels, this year Mexico is expelling fewer migrants, he repeated.

The Statistical Bulletin of the National Institute of Migration (INM) indicates that between January and February 12,248 people from America were returned to their countries.

In contrast, the average number of people deported in the first two months of the last six years is 16,395, with its peak in 2022, when the INM repatriated 18,617 people, the expert specified.

This represents reductions of 25 and 34 percent, respectively, in the number of migrants deported. These data also include situations of assisted return, including those of children and adolescents.

Added to this panorama are record numbers of foreigners in an irregular migratory situation in Mexico, he added.

According to INM data, as of February there were 70,526 people in this condition (45,015 presented, under immigration administrative process, and 25,511 channeled to shelters), which represents 48 percent more compared to the same period of 2022 and 171 more if compared to the average of the last six years, which is 26,042.

The above figures suggest that there are more migrants "tolerated" in national territory, either waiting for a response to their asylum request in the United States, trying to cross illegally into that country or waiting to complete some refugee or employment process with the Mexican authorities. (Source: Prensa Latina)