Mexico is emerging as a powerful player in the 2024 U.S. election, wielding control over the flow of migrants as tensions over border policy and immigration reach a fever pitch. As thousands of migrants continue their journey to the U.S., Mexico has ramped up its enforcement, detaining record numbers and relocating them to its southern states in a cycle that some call a “migrant merry-go-round.”
Jairo Salvador Salinas, a migrant from Honduras, represents one of many frustrated travelers detained near the U.S. border and then sent over 1,000 miles back to southern Mexico. “I don’t have any support here,” Salinas shared from a shelter in Villahermosa, a city closer to his home in Honduras than the U.S. border.
Since January, Mexico has registered over 712,000 migrant apprehensions—triple the same period last year—while deporting only a fraction of those detained. Most migrants are sent to Tabasco and Chiapas states, hundreds of miles from the U.S. border. These relocations are forcing migrants to repeatedly attempt the journey northward or seek new pathways to the U.S., often turning to the CBP One app, which allows appointments at U.S. ports of entry. However, with limited daily slots, migrants wait weeks, struggling in overcrowded shelters.
Mexico’s increased enforcement coincides with Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent stance supporting tighter border controls and former President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations if elected. The Mexican government, while downplaying its efforts, has continued to strengthen its migrant control measures following a December meeting between Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“Mexico’s migrant containment efforts clearly reflect U.S. policy goals,” said Father Julio López, a priest working with migrants in Mexico. Critics argue this approach drives migrants into the hands of human smugglers, increasing their vulnerability to violence from cartels and traffickers.
Amid rising fears of a potential CBP One shutdown under a Trump administration, migrants like Venezuelan caravan organizer José worry about time running out. “We’re trying to move quickly, but it’s hard because we have children, old people, and pregnant women,” José explained.
As Mexico intensifies its role in managing migration, the question remains: will its actions influence the U.S. election, or simply add fuel to an already divisive debate?
