Around 100 migrants from various countries roamed aimlessly through the streets of Acapulco, a troubled resort on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Having trekked for weeks across southern Mexico alongside hundreds of other migrants, they agreed to immigration officials’ proposal to travel to Acapulco, expecting to continue their journey toward the U.S. border. Instead, they found themselves stranded on Monday, reports AP.
Trump threatens to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on first day in office
With President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration just two weeks away, Mexico persists in breaking up high-profile migrant caravans and scattering migrants across the country to keep them away from the U.S. border and prevent their concentration in any one area.
This "dispersion and exhaustion" strategy has been a cornerstone of Mexico’s immigration policy in recent years. It has significantly reduced the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border, explained Tonatiuh Guillén, former chief of Mexico’s immigration agency, it said.
Claudia Sheinbaum to be sworn in as Mexico’s 1st female president
Guillén added that the current administration hopes the reduced migrant numbers will help counter Trump’s pressure. Guillén left the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador after Trump threatened tariffs over migration during his first term.
Acapulco, once a jewel of Mexican tourism, is an unlikely destination for migrants. The city is grappling with organized crime and is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Otis in 2023.
On Monday, while Mexican tourists enjoyed the final moments of their holiday beach vacations, migrants slept on the streets or sought ways to resume their northward journeys, the report said.
“Immigration officials told us they’d give us a permit to travel freely across the country for 10 to 15 days, but that didn’t happen,” said 28-year-old Venezuelan migrant Ender Antonio Castañeda. “They abandoned us here with no way to leave. They won’t sell us bus tickets or anything else.”
Castañeda, like thousands of others, had left Tapachula, a southern city near the Guatemalan border. In recent weeks, more than six caravans of about 1,500 migrants each have departed from Tapachula, but none got far.
6 die in landslide caused by heavy rains in Mexico
Authorities allow the migrants to walk for days before exhaustion sets in and then offer to transport them to various cities, promising to review their immigration status—a process with uncertain outcomes.
Some migrants have ended up in Acapulco, where about a dozen sleep at a Catholic church near immigration offices. On Monday, dozens gathered outside the offices seeking information, but no one provided answers.
Castañeda, having received money from his family and desperate to leave, opted for a ride from a van driver he deemed the most reliable, despite fares being five times higher than regular bus tickets to Mexico City.
Some migrants discovered that the permits they received restrict their travel to Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located, while others have had more luck.
On Sunday, a recent migrant caravan disbanded after hundreds received transit permits allowing unrestricted travel within Mexico for a limited time.
Cuban migrant Dayani Sánchez, 33, and her husband were among those granted such permits. “We’re a little scared about safety while traveling by bus, fearing we might be stopped,” she said. Mexican drug cartels often target migrants for extortion or kidnapping, and some migrants accuse authorities of similar practices.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has claimed that her immigration policy prioritises humanitarian concerns, allowing more migrants to leave southern Mexico. However, migration advocates have pointed out that migrants are often sent to dangerous regions.
The Rev. Leopoldo Morales, a priest at the Catholic church near the immigration offices in Acapulco, expressed similar concerns. In November, buses carrying migrants—including families—arrived in Acapulco. Last weekend, two more buses brought adult migrants.
Although Acapulco is not a traditional migration route and lacks infrastructure to support migrants, local priests have coordinated efforts to provide water, food, and clothing. “They’re in dire straits, arriving with nothing,” Morales said.
Migrants quickly realise finding work in Acapulco is nearly impossible. Following Hurricane Otis, the federal government deployed soldiers and National Guard troops to aid reconstruction and ensure security. However, the city continues to struggle with violence.
Acapulco remains one of Mexico’s most violent cities, with high homicide rates. Local cab drivers and small business owners—who spoke anonymously—reported rising extortion, deterring large businesses from rebuilding.
Honduran migrant Jorge Neftalí Alvarenga, relieved to have left Chiapas near the Guatemalan border, was already disillusioned.
“They misled us,” Alvarenga said. “We asked for arrangements to take us to Mexico City for work or even places like Monterrey, where there are more job opportunities.”