Increased Enforcement at Mexico's Southern Border
RESEARCH REPORT Photo: Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images INCREASED ENFORCEMENT AT MEXICO’S SOUTHERN BORDER An Update on Security, Migration, and U.S. Assistance By Adam Isacson, Maureen Meyer, and Hannah Smith NOVEMBER 2015 KEY FINDINGS In July 2014, the Mexican government announced a “Southern Border Program,” stepping up apprehensions and deportations of U.S.-bound migrants crossing through the country’s southern border zone. This report, based on field research in the region, examines how the Southern Border Program changed the situation on the ground, what enforcement measures were taken, how migrants and their smugglers are adapting to these measures, the impact on migrants’ access to protection, and the role of U.S. assistance. • MEXICO’S MIGRATION CRACKDOWN HAS CAUSED MIGRANTS TO TAKE NEW AND DANGEROUS ROUTES. Far from deterring migrants from making the journey north, the most notable effect of the increased enforcement at Mexico’s southern border has been changes in how migrants are traveling. With decreased possibilities of boarding the train in Chiapas, migrants and smugglers are now relying on different and dangerous routes and modes of transportation, including by foot and boat. These routes expose migrants to new vulnerabilities while isolating them from the network of shelters established along traditional routes. • AGGRESSIVE ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS ON THE TRAINS HAVE LED TO CONCERNS ABOUT EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE. Raids and operations to prevent migrants from riding north atop cargo trains, known collectively as La Bestia, have been the most visible and aggressive enforcement efforts under the Southern Border Program. Migration authorities have blocked migrants from boarding trains, pulled migrants off of trains, and raided establishments that migrants are known to frequent, detaining thousands.
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