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Updated September 17, 2019
Mexico’s Immigration Control Efforts
Background
crossings and created mobile highway checkpoints. INM
Mexico, along with the United States, is experiencing a
also sought to professionalize its workforce and improve
surge in unauthorized migration from the “Northern
coordination with Mexican federal police, navy, army, and
Triangle” of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and
customs agencies.
Honduras). Both Mexico and the United States have
struggled to deal with large numbers of family units and
The State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons report
unaccompanied minors, many of whom are seeking asylum
documents how migrants in Mexico are vulnerable to
(see Figure 1). From 2015 to 2018, Mexico removed
human rights abuses and human trafficking. Human rights
almost 524,000 migrants to their native Northern Triangle
groups argued that the Southern Border Plan pushed
countries. To avoid U.S. tariffs, the Mexican government
migrants to take more dangerous routes, which increased
agreed in June 2019 to increase immigration enforcement
their reliance on smugglers. These groups criticized the
and allow more migrants to await their U.S. immigration
Mexican government for not adequately addressing
proceedings in Mexico.
corruption among police and migration officials or
prosecuting crimes against migrants. By 2018, increasing
During a September 10, 2019, meeting with Mexico’s
numbers of migrants began to travel in large groups
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Vice President Mike
(sometimes called caravans) as a way to share resources
Pence recognized Mexico’s efforts since June but said that
and gain protection.
more work needed to be done to reduce unauthorized
migration. The next day, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in
the Trump Administration could implement a rule it issued
December 2018, endorsing a humanitarian approach to
in July 2019 while it faces legal challenges; that rule bars
migration and pledging to promote development in Central
those who have reached the southern border through
America as a solution to unauthorized migration.
another country without seeking asylum there from
Nevertheless, López Obrador did not increase funding for
requesting asylum in the United States. (See CRS Legal
Mexico’s backlogged Commission for the Aid of Refugees
Sidebar LSB10337, Asylum Bar for Migrants Who Reach
(COMAR). His government’s austerity policies also could
the Southern Border through Third Countries: Issues and
prevent him from fulfilling his pledge to invest
Ongoing Litigation.)
$100 million in the Northern Triangle.
Figure 1. Mexico: Reported Apprehensions of
López Obrador has taken a harder line toward migration
Migrants from Northern Triangle Countries and
since April 2019, as he has faced pressure from the United
Asylum Applications
States to reduce migrant flows and Mexico’s detention
facilities have grown overcrowded. His government has
increased migrant apprehensions (see Figure 2) and
restricted access to humanitarian visas, particularly for
those traveling in caravans.
Figure 2. Mexico: Recent Trends in Reported
Apprehensions of Central American Migrants
Source: CRS. Information from Mexico’s Secretary of the Interior.
Notes: June 2019 is the most recent data publicly available.
Immigration Control
In 2014, Mexico implemented a Southern Border Plan that
Source: CRS. Data from Mexico’s Secretary of the Interior.
established naval bases on its rivers, security cordons north
Notes: June 2019 is the most recent data publicly available.
of its borders with Guatemala and Belize, and a drone
surveillance program. Unarmed agents from the National
Humanitarian Protection
Migration Institute (INM) increased operations along train
Mexico has a broader definition of refugee than the United
routes and at bus stations, which led to increased
States and the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention; it recognizes
apprehensions. INM improved infrastructure at border
https://crsreports.congress.gov
link to page 1 Mexico’s Immigration Control Efforts
a right to asylum based on “generalized violence; foreign
June 2019 Migration Agreement
aggression; internal conflicts; massive violations of human
In May 2019, President Trump threatened to impose
rights; and other circumstances leading to a serious
escalating tariffs on U.S. imports of Mexican motor
disturbance of public order.” As a result, many of the
vehicles if the Mexican government did not significantly
migrants arriving in Mexico from the Northern Triangle
increase its efforts to stop U.S.-bound migrants. On June 7,
could qualify as refugees. In the past, activists claimed that
2019, the governments reached a migration agreement to
INM agents did not inform migrants of the right to request
avert the tariffs for at least 90 days.
asylum. Asylum requests have doubled in Mexico each year
since 2015, however, and may exceed 80,000 in 2019,
According to the June U.S.-Mexico Joint Declaration,
according to COMAR officials (see Figure 1). In 2019, the
Mexico agreed to deploy its newly created National Guard
top countries of origin for asylum seekers in Mexico are
to its borders, dismantle human smuggling networks, and
Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Cuba.
accept the expansion of the MPP across the entire border.
Mexico also agreed to provide access to “jobs, healthcare,
Even with support from the U.N. High Commissioner for
and education” to those in the MPP program who were
Refugees (UNHCR), COMAR does not have sufficient
returned from the United States. The United States pledged
budget or staff to process pending and new asylum claims.
to speed up the adjudication of asylum claims, and DHS is
COMAR granted refugee status to 1,014 people from
prioritizing the court proceedings of migrants in the MPP
Northern Triangle countries in 2018. It granted
program. Both countries reiterated their commitment to a
“complementary protection” (relief from deportation but
December 2018 joint announcement in support of economic
not permanent residency) to 1,155 people who failed to
development in Mexico and the Northern Triangle.
qualify for asylum.
U.S. apprehensions of migrants on the Southwest border
U.S. Foreign Assistance
fell by 62% from May 2019 to August 2019. Although
Since FY2014, the State Department has allocated over
some of that decline may be due to seasonal trends, Vice
$100 million in Mérida Initiative funding to support
President Pence acknowledged that “Mexico’s
Mexico’s immigration control efforts. U.S. funds have
unprecedented steps” have helped to reduce U.S.-bound
provided nonintrusive inspection equipment, mobile kiosks,
unauthorized migration but noted that both governments
canine teams, and vehicles, as well as training in
needed to implement the MPP to the “fullest extent
immigration enforcement. U.S. assistance helped Mexican
possible.” Pence also did not publicly mention the
agencies build a secure communications network in the
possibility of Mexico signing a “safe third country
southern border area. It is also helping Mexico collect
agreement” with the U.S. government, which could require
biometric information that interfaces with U.S. databases.
certain migrants who transit Mexico to apply for asylum
there rather than in the United States; Mexico has rejected
The State Department provided $7 million in FY2018 and
signing such an agreement thus far.
$32 million in FY2019 through the Migration and Refugee
Assistance (MRA) account to UNHCR to improve access to
Although the June agreement has coincided with fewer U.S.
asylum in Mexico, provide legal assistance and alternatives
apprehensions, there also have been increasing incidents of
to detention for asylum seekers, and increase COMAR’s
violence against migrants in both southern and northern
asylum processing capacity. The International Organization
Mexico. In an August 2019 report, Delivered to Danger,
for Migration is using $5.5 million in MRA funds to
Human Rights First documented 116 cases of migrants
improve shelters in Mexico and $1.5 million to support a
returned to Mexico under the MPP who had been raped,
voluntary return program for migrants who agree to be sent
kidnapped, and/or assaulted. With wider implementation of
back to their home countries.
the MPP, and U.S. officials limiting the number of migrants
accepted daily for screening through a process referred to as
U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols
metering, Mexican border cities—some of which have high
In December 2018, President López Obrador decided to
rates of violent crime—are now sheltering tens of thousands
allow the United States to return Central American migrants
of migrants with little support. In July 2019, Mexico
to Mexico under the U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols
opened its first federally funded shelter in Ciudad Juárez;
(MPP, also known as Remain in Mexico), under which the
others are planned to open in Tijuana and Mexicali.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) returns
some non-Mexican migrants who are in immigration court
Congressional Action
proceedings (excluding unaccompanied minors) to Mexico
The 116th Congress has continued to fund and oversee U.S.
to await their immigration court decisions. The policy is
migration-related assistance to Mexico provided through
facing legal challenges, but court orders currently in effect
the Mérida Initiative and the MRA account. The House-
allow DHS to continue implementation. At a September 9,
passed FY2020 minibus, H.R. 2740, would provide $126.8
2019, press conference, DHS confirmed that 42,000
million for the Mérida Initiative overall (not just migration)
migrants had been returned to Mexico under the MPP. (See
and an unspecified amount of MRA funding to support
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10251, “Migrant Protection
COMAR. Legislation also has been introduced to prohibit
Protocols”: Legal Issues Related to DHS’s Plan to Require
funding for the MPP (H.R. 2662). Also see CRS Report
Arriving Asylum Seekers to Wait in Mexico.)
R45539, Immigration: U.S. Asylum Policy; CRS Report
R42917, Mexico: Background and U.S. Relations; CRS In
Focus IF10578, Mexico: Evolution of the Mérida Initiative,
2007-2020.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Mexico’s Immigration Control Efforts
IF10215
Clare Ribando Seelke, Specialist in Latin American
Affairs
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10215 · VERSION 23 · UPDATED