The United States has deported nearly 13,000 Cubans, Venezuelans and other migrants to Mexico, where many face serious risks including cartel violence and lack of basic support, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch released Wednesday.
Although Mexico has accepted such deportations before, the report says those sent under the Trump administration are often older and had lived in the US for many years. This makes it harder for them to find jobs and increases their need for medical care.
The findings are based on more than 50 interviews conducted in the southern Mexican cities of Tapachula and Villahermosa. The report comes as US authorities have expanded immigration enforcement as part of a wider mass deportation drive.
As a result, people who were not previously targeted — including Cubans who had lived in the US for decades — are now being deported. Since countries like Cuba and Venezuela often refuse or limit return flights, many migrants are instead sent to Mexico under special arrangements.
A Human Rights Watch researcher described the situation as extremely difficult, especially for older people who are suddenly removed from their lives and left in an unfamiliar and sometimes dangerous environment without proper support.
Cubans make up the largest group among those deported, with more than 4,300 sent to Mexico. Many had lived in the US since the 1980s or 1990s, often holding green cards before losing their legal status.
The report says over half had some form of criminal record, but only a small portion were linked to violent crimes, while about a quarter had no criminal history at all.
Most were detained during routine immigration check-ins, while others were picked up at workplaces or public places. None were given a chance to appear before a judge to challenge their deportation to Mexico, even when they expressed safety concerns.
Once in Mexico, many are sent to southern areas with limited job opportunities, poor access to healthcare and high levels of crime. The process to seek refugee status is also complicated, leaving many stuck without clear legal status.
Aid workers say shelters are now seeing older deportees, including people in their 80s — a shift from the younger migrants usually arriving.
Human Rights Watch has urged both the US and Mexico to make their deportation agreements public and ensure proper legal procedures are followed. It also called on Mexico to provide healthcare and legal pathways for those unable to return home, and on the US to halt such deportations until safeguards are in place.