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Hopes, Fears, and Illusions: Tapachula field notes
Reflections from researchers in Tapachula
Entry 1: Settling In
Khalil and Allyson arrived at the Tapachula airport on a steamy morning and took a short taxi ride to Hospitalidad y Solidaridad. They spent their first few days being onboarded by shelter staff and starting their work as shelter volunteers. As in Tijuana – and in notable contrast to a few months earlier when Prof. Katrina Burgess visited the shelter – the majority of shelter residents are families from Central America, although there are also some African migrants. Many of the Haitians who had been at the shelter in February reportedly abandoned their asylum claims in Mexico to seek entry into the United States under a humanitarian parole program established in January 2023 for Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.
Photo 1: Hospitalidad y Solidaridad's lobby. Photo 2: The courtyard at Hospitalidad y Solidaridad.
Allyson shared this observation about the shelter residents: "Everyday there are new people who arrive to the shelter. We learned that most people here were recommended by humanitarian organizations and are allowed to stay for up to 9 months so long as they follow the rules. There are some people who come on their own but they are only permitted to stay for 15 days. The majority of the population here are migrants from Honduras and the rest seem to also be from Central American countries for the most part. There are a lot of children and families here and most people seem to be under the age of 35. To our knowledge nearly everyone is here to apply for asylum in Mexico which seems to take 4 months."
Entry 2: "We leave it all behind because we have to."
By Allyson Teague
As we have gotten to know the migrants living here at the shelter, we have come to understand that getting asylum in Mexico is often a means of providing safe passage through the country rather than a resettlement strategy. Most of them hope to enter the United States but they express concern about what they might face in their journey without having this documentation as a form of protection against Mexican migration officials. Even with a legal status, many worry about the potential extortion and threats of cartels along routes to the US.
We have learned about a network of migrants who have already crossed into the United States and who share their stories and experiences with those waiting out their process in the shelter. Some of the migrants in the shelter have mapped out their own routes based on the information provided by this network.
Photo 1: Researchers Allyson Teague and Khalil Bentley are joined by co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Kim Howe and Dr. Katrina Burgess, at the border between Guatemala and Mexico. Photo 2: The migration station in Ciudad Hidalgo, the border crossing nearest to Tapachula. Photo 3: Migrants cross the Suchiate River between Guatemala and Mexico near the Ciudad Hidalgo border crossing.
When we ask the migrants what words come to mind when they think of the US, the most common responses are opportunity, economy, support, and family. It is clear that the notion of the “American Dream” continues to motivate migrants to seek a new home and a new life in the US. We are continuously reminded, however, that these people are migrating out of necessity.
Here are some thoughts the migrants shared with us about leaving home:
“No one wants to leave behind their family and their culture.” – 23, Male, Guatemala
“Back home I have my children, my plans, and my projects.” – 52, Female, Honduras
“We leave it all behind because we have to.” – 26, Nonbinary, El Salvador
“There is no life for me back home in my country.” – 44, Male, Honduras
Entry 3: Diverse migrants, diverse needs
By Khalil Bentley I had the pleasure of interviewing a Black person who had been repeatedly displaced. They loved their home, the communal structure, the social dynamics, and cultural fulfillment. This however had been compromised by conflict and corruption. They were vocal in calling for greater government services to the public. This led to threats against them and their family that forced them to move to another city in the country twice before they were forced to move to Brasil.
In Brasil, however, they faced violence, corruption, and racism such that they were forced to move again. I bring this up because for the Black migrants that I interviewed, this was the norm. They had escaped deteriorating political, economic, and social climates by going to Brasil but found even greater corruption, racism, and violence than at home, forcing them to take the dangerous journey through the Darién Gap. Unsurprisingly, they did not offer many details, but they did speak of a lot of death and extortion. Unfortunately, this was not the end of their struggles. Another woman I interviewed was a victim of repeated crime. After being forced to leave Brasil due to criminal extortion, and crossing the Darien Gap, she bought a home for herself and her children in Tapachula only to lose everything in a home invasion after just two weeks. I heard repeatedly from migrants in the shelter that discrimination and fears of violence in México made them feel as if they needed to relocate yet again to the U.S., even if that was not their desire--as was the case of this woman.
For these migrants, there is little opportunity for safety and stability even with new policies from the Biden administration. Some of the new rules on asylum such as CBP One are seen as out of reach for many migrants, and some migrants are being sent back to Mexico with no way to apply. Yet, most of the migrants that I met were relying on this for a chance to enter the U.S. I wonder if the Black migrants in particular will be able to benefit the same as other migrants. My experience in the shelter has made me wonder about cultural sensitivity and how people seeking to aid migrants could use additional training. A couple weeks ago we received a Muslim family from Afghanistan. The family had experienced a number of stressors including separated housing for men and families, a language barrier, and lack of halal food. The last of these was one of the most difficult. Saturday, we received a large shipment of ham sandwiches, apples, and fruit juice as a donation which all of the residents ate for dinner. I along with the residents carried it to the cafeteria through pouring rain. It wasn’t till Sunday night that I realized there was an issue with the food. By coincidence another volunteer asked me to cover her shift on Sunday while she left for the beach over the weekend. We were rationing the food by using the donations from the previous night for the kids and the soup that we were originally supposed to serve to the adults. When the family from Afghanistan got their food, I remembered that Muslims do not eat pork and I rushed out to tell them that their daughter should not eat the sandwich. I told the volunteers the family cannot eat pork and that we have to give them different food. The family was very upset as they were unaware that they were eating pork. Immediately I sent a warning to the staff group chat that Muslims can’t eat pork for religious reasons, as it is not halal. After dinner, one of the staff members told me that the family was very sick after eating the sandwiches for dinner, breakfast, and lunch and to please make sure the shelter knows in the future to not serve pork to Muslims. I also communicated this to the staff.
Had I not been there, the situation could have escalated and put the family’s health at risk. I had personal experience with Muslims, having grown up around them and having Muslim friends. Many people in Latin America do not have that experience and will not be aware of the cultural nuances of migrants from majority Muslim countries or countries where they make up a large percentage of the population. The current migration pattern and the many nations represented pose challenges to humanitarian organizations' abilities to adapt to the myriad needs of migrants and societies’ ability to adapt to cultural changes. By Allyson Teague
En route to a beach about an hour and a half outside of Tapachula we passed through 6-7 migration check points. Most of them were pop up tents set up with tables and a few officers staffing them. Most of them had a few people waiting in lines or sitting in groups; however, we passed by one where it was clear people were waiting for extended periods of time. There was a small informal camp set up with tents, access to drinking water and water for washing clothes. We also saw a lot of vendors in this location who seemed to be selling to the migrants waiting to pass through Tapachula. A family from Afghanistan was stopped on their way to Mexico City about 6 hours outside of Tapachula. They were told that they could not travel within Mexico despite having a humanitarian visa and were sent back to Tapachula. After a conversation with a lawyer, we concluded that this was not true as they are allowed to travel within Mexico for up to 1 year. The migrants expressed that the language barrier was a major issue when trying to explain their purpose for travel, as they do not speak Spanish. Prior this conversation, they spoke to a Jesuit volunteer, who explained that their immigration cards only allow entry and travel through Chiapas, allegedly as a result of an informal U.S. migration policy since 2019 to restrain migration to Tapachula. The Afghans claimed they were told they could pay $200 to obtain documents that will grant them access to other states. The volunteer said that both this and the actions of the immigration officers were corrupt and not guaranteed to grant them access even if they complied with the officials’ offer. Likely, this is not an uncommon experience for migrants and is consistent with tales from migrants about the police and officials in other countries as well.
Entry 4: "It's a little risky but worth it..."
By Allyson Teague
Today I received a phone call from a friend that I had made in the shelter. She told me that she made it into the U.S. and was on her way to California from Texas. She shared that she and her family had arrived in Monterrey after completing the CBP-1 application but ran into problems. The person who was supposed to receive them in the U.S. was still in Mexico and their family in the U.S. could not afford to receive them so their application fell apart. She told me that they had to cross through the river into Texas and were detained by migration. She said she dropped her phone in the river but this seems to be the only issue they faced while crossing. They stayed in a detention center without blankets and beds for a few days. Fortunately, migration released them and gave them a court date but it is unclear what this court date is for. She said they left the detention center and tried to book a bus but it only accepted payments through credit and debit cards, no cash allowed. Somehow, they were able to work out a ride and are now waiting for a flight to California where they have family with whom they can stay.
Photos 1 and 2: A monitor at Hospitalidad y Solidaridad displays information for migrants, including helpful organizations in the U.S. and the distances between Tapachula and Tijuana via the main migratory routes in Mexico.
After a short trip to Guatemala, I returned to the shelter to retrieve my suitcase. It was an incredible welcome followed by a very hard goodbye. Fortunately, I had an hour to sit with the migrants and talk before I had to leave for the airport. Most of our conversations were about who had left since I was gone and who was still in the shelter. I was told that there was one migrant who had been missing for a while, someone I had interviewed with whom I had developed a good relationship. It had been 10 days without any contact or word from them, and a staff person told me they had taken them out of the system. I asked if the belongings of the migrant where still in the shelter but the staff person did not know. I know that some of their friends had left earlier that week and were staying in a hotel together. Part of me hopes they chose to leave and join them, but a bigger part of me fears that something may have happened.
When asked what he wants people in the US to better understand about his experience: “As a migrant, I would like to be given the opportunity to speak, to develop myself as they wish, because we are all human beings." – Male, 44, Honduras "It's a little risky but worth it because in the end, after everything, after such a long and dangerous journey, to see a new beginning of opportunity and nice things." – Female, 19, Cuba
A mural at the Mercado Sebastian Escobar in downtown Tapachula.