Mexico Braces for Record Number of Refugee Applications, Primarily from Cubans
Mexico is on track to break its own record for refugee applications this year, surpassing the 129,000 applications received in 2021. The largest group of immigrants seeking refuge in Mexico are Cubans, according to Andrés Ramírez Silva, director of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR). He revealed that this year’s applications are expected to reach approximately 150,000, considering the current pace and constant flow of migrants.
The majority of asylum applications come from Cubans, Haitians, and Hondurans, accounting for roughly 80% of the total. The influx of irregular immigrants has put immense strain on Mexican authorities along the route to the United States.
The overwhelming number of refugee requests has prompted COMAR to seek assistance from the National Guard, particularly in Tapachula, a city near the border with Guatemala. Tapachula alone receives half of the country’s refugee applications, with its offices currently serving around 2,000 individuals on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the long queues and large crowds waiting for their procedures have led to violent incidents, necessitating intervention from security forces.
The Mexican government is actively working to locate migrants attempting to reach the United States through traffickers, often discovering them in precarious conditions. Meanwhile, migrants seeking to regularize their status face lengthy waits and dire conditions, underscoring the complex migration situation in the region.
Marisol Peña Cobas, a Cuban mother and regime opponent currently residing in Tapachula, described the city as a “black hole that swallows migrants.” As Mexico grapples with the unprecedented surge in refugee applications, the need for efficient and humane processing procedures becomes increasingly crucial.