Delgado was among hundreds of migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan and other countries gathering outside the refugee agency in Mexico City after Trump unleashed executive orders last month meant to slash access to asylum and militarize the border.
Amid a clampdown on asylum under Trump and tightening restrictions in recent years under the Biden administration, Delgado is among a growing number of migrants from across the world to ditch — or at least pause — their ambitions of reaching the U.S., and focus instead on building a life in Mexico.
The rise in petitions for asylum in Mexico may not result in an immediate uptick in refugees there as only a couple hundred applications can be processed each day, fueling criticism about Mexico’s capacity to take on the burgeoning asylum demand.
“Now, it's the Mexican dream,” said a Mexican man helping Haitian friends try to get an appointment this month to apply for asylum in Mexico following the Trump executive orders.
“All of these policies Trump is pushing are leading more people to seek international protection in Mexico,” said Andrés Ramírez, former director of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid, which processes asylum cases.
