As Illegal Border Crossings to US Plummet, More Refugees Seek Asylum in Mexico Lisa Nikolau - Humanosphere
go to original March 23, 2017

DHS Statement: Illegal crossings down 40% on southwest border (NTDTV)

After a series of federal actions cracking down on illegal immigration in the United States, fewer migrants are entering the country illegally, but more refugees are seeking asylum in Mexico.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said the number of undocumented immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico dropped by 40 percent from January to February, the Guardian reported. In the past, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has typically seen a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in apprehensions in the first two months of the year.

“Since the administration’s implementation of executive orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years,” Kelly said in the Guardian report.

Meanwhile, the number of refugees in cities and towns across Mexico is growing. Officials reported a 154.6 percent increase in asylum requests in 2016, according to recent figures from the Mexican Commission for Assistance to Refugees. Almost 90 percent of those requests come from Honduras and El Salvador.

“These numbers reflect that Mexico is, increasingly, becoming less of a country of transit and more a country of asylum or destination,” said José Francisco Sieber, who heads UNHCR’s protection unit in Mexico.

Read the rest at Humanosphere

Related: Tijuana Is a Hub of Exile and Hope for Deportees and Migrants (The Intercept)

Related: In Pictures: Tijuana’s ‘Little Haiti’: Home to Stranded Haitian Migrants (teleSUR)

Related: Long a Way Station for Refugees, Immigrants, Mexico Now Playing Host (The Christian Science Monitor)

Related: Mexico's 'Little Haiti' Now Home to 3,700 Immigrants in Tijuana (PanAm Post)

Related: Refugees Fleeing Violence in Central America Hope for Asylum in Mexico (The Intercept)

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