TAPACHULA, Mexico (AFP)— As former President Donald Trump prepares to return to office with promises of mass deportations, migrants in Mexico face a growing sense of unease. Many are unsure whether their scheduled asylum appointments with U.S. authorities will proceed as planned, especially those set for after Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
“We don’t know what to expect,” said Yusmelis Villalobos, a Venezuelan migrant with a January 23 appointment in Tapachula, a southern Mexican city near the Guatemala border. “There’s a real sense of fear that our hopes will be dashed.”
The situation is made more complicated by the political turmoil in their home countries. For Venezuelan migrants like Dayana Hernandez, Trump’s hardline stance is causing confusion. “We are stuck, not knowing whether to go back or move forward,” Hernandez said, referencing both the uncertainty of U.S. policies and the unstable political environment in Venezuela, following President Nicolas Maduro’s controversial third term in office.
Trump’s rhetoric surrounding immigration has been harsh, with the former president repeatedly accusing immigrants of threatening U.S. safety and culture, promising to carry out the most significant deportation effort in U.S. history. His stance has left many migrants questioning the viability of their journey to the United States, especially after the U.S. government rolled out the CBP One app to help process asylum claims.
Despite the uncertainty, Hernandez remains hopeful. “Not all of us are bad,” she said. “Many of us want nothing more than to work and contribute.”
However, many migrants are frustrated by the lengthy waits for permits and the lack of clear communication from Mexican authorities, leading some to form caravans to continue their journeys toward the U.S. border, braving hunger, exhaustion, and the harsh elements. This growing frustration is visible in the streets of Tapachula, where hundreds are waiting for approval to travel north.
For some migrants like Anais Rojas, who travels with her young son, there’s a constant sense of doubt. “We’re grateful to have an appointment, but the future is uncertain,” Rojas admitted. Still, she remains optimistic that, despite Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, a stronger U.S. economy could benefit people like her. “If things improve in the U.S., it could help us all,” Rojas said.
As the clock ticks down to Trump’s inauguration, migrants in Mexico are left to navigate the shifting tides of U.S. immigration policies, hoping their futures will not be sealed by political promises or uncertainty.
