Mexican authorities implement strategic measures to manage migrant movements across their territory as President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration draws near.
According to Fox News, Mexico has adopted a "dispersion and exhaustion" policy to reduce the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border, facing pressure from Trump's threat of implementing a 25% tariff on Mexican imports.
The Mexican government's approach involves breaking up large migrant groups and relocating them to various cities throughout the country.
Officials are particularly focusing on keeping migrants away from the U.S. border by transporting them to locations like Acapulco, a once-thriving tourist destination now grappling with high crime rates and the aftermath of Hurricane Otis.
Immigration officials have been implementing a systematic approach to managing migrant movement. They allow migrants to walk for extended periods until they become exhausted, then offer transportation to different cities under the pretense of reviewing their immigration status. This strategy has left many migrants stranded in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous locations, far from their intended destination.
Venezuelan migrant Ender Antonio Castañeda shared his experience with the current situation:
Immigration (officials) told us they were going to give us a permit to transit the country freely for 10, 15 days and it wasn't like that. They left us dumped here without any way to get out. They won't sell us (bus) tickets. They won't sell us anything.
The journey from southern Mexico to the U.S. border would typically take approximately 16 days of continuous walking to reach the nearest crossing point at Matamoros, near Brownsville, Texas.
Migrants typically prefer traveling in large groups for safety reasons, making it difficult for immigration agents to detain them effectively.
President-elect Trump has maintained a firm stance on immigration control, recently reiterating his position on tariffs and border security. During a recent press briefing, Trump stated:
Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them. And we're going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada, too, and the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers, record numbers. So we're going to make up for that by putting tariffs on Mexico and Canada, substantial tariffs.
The incoming administration has already begun assembling a team focused on immigration enforcement. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been appointed as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, while Tom Homan will serve as the new "Border Czar." These appointments signal a significant shift in immigration policy compared to the Biden-Harris administration.
Trump's transition team has outlined plans for the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. The administration also intends to eliminate the current parole programs implemented under President Biden that allow migrants to enter through expanded "lawful pathways."
The Mexican government's current efforts to manage the migrant movement reflect the complex dynamics of international relations and immigration policy. Their dispersal strategy has effectively reduced the size of migrant caravans approaching the U.S. border, though it has raised humanitarian concerns about the treatment and safety of migrants.
The situation has particularly impacted locations like Acapulco, where migrants find themselves in a city struggling with organized crime and the devastating effects of recent natural disasters. With limited support and few options available, many migrants are facing increasingly difficult circumstances while attempting to continue their journey northward.
