ReliefWeb

This SNAPSHOT summarizes the findings of Protection Monitoring conducted in Ciudad Juarez and Tapachula, Mexico in August 2022 as part of the humanitarian intervention of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the Jesuit Refugee Service Mexico (JRS), as part of a consortium with Save the Children Spain and Mexico, Plan International Spain and Mexico and HIAS Mexico, with the financial support of the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). To view the interactive Dashboard with the results from this period and from the beginning of the Protection Monitoring program, click here.

An increase in generalized violence in Ciudad Juarez during the month generated an environment of fear and despair for the population of concern. In mid-August, an outbreak of violent acts against the civilian population caused the death of nearly a dozen citizens and the adoption of a de facto curfew that lasted several days, including in the shelters housing a large part of the migrant population. In parallel, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the United States issued a statement confirming its commitment to ending the MPP program in a prompt and orderly manner, while noting that the Title 42 restrictions would remain in effect. Faced with continuing limitations on access to U.S. asylum system and regular entry into that country, many persons of concern continued to resort to risky measures to enter the territory irregularly, exposing them to detention and death.

In Tapachula, widespread frustration was detected among the population of concern seeking to continue their transit to other parts of Mexico or to the United States. Repeatedly, those who arrived at the National Migration Institute (INM, by its Spanish acronym) in order to request a humanitarian visa (TVRH) were redirected to the Mexican Commission on Refugee Aid (COMAR) to start the process. The COMAR, on the other hand, redirected people who had no intention of seeking asylum in Mexico to the INM. This dynamic contributed to a situation of limbo, and the concentration of groups of persons of concern in both locations, including in makeshift camps with precarious conditions. At the same time, COMAR continued a process to advance appointment dates to formalize applications for the recognition of refugee status. However, confusion about this process left some of those with intentions of remaining in Mexico to depart Tapachula as part of the large and small caravans that left the city during the month.