He annual report of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveals that, over the past year, more than 140,000 people requested asylum in Mexico, reflecting the growing need for international protection. These figures place Mexico among the five countries with the highest number of new asylum applications globally.
At the same time, it received hundreds of thousands of people transiting north and seven states experienced an increase in internal displacement.
Regarding the origin of asylum seekers, the report reveals that people of more than 100 nationalities requested asylum in Mexico in 2023. Haiti was the country with the highest representation (31%), followed by Honduras (30%), Cuba ( 13%), and Guatemala, El Salvador and Venezuela with 4% each.
According to UNHCR Protection Monitoring, more than half of people on the move cited violence, insecurity and threats as the main reasons for leaving their countries of origin. Additionally, 66% indicated that their life, safety or freedom would be in danger if they were returned to their places of origin.
The report, titled Hope for a new home, highlights that, with the support of the UN agency, the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees was able to cope with the increase in asylum applications. Since 2018, this organization has quadrupled its attention capacity, managing to increase the recognition rate of refugee status from 65% in 2022 to 69% in 2023.
However, the report also notes that challenges persist to consolidate the structure and operational capacity of the Commissionas well as ensuring an adequate budget to serve people with international protection needs.
Two men walk next to the border wall that divides Mexico from the United States.
Limited essential services
Since late 2023, asylum seekers have faced barriers to accessing documentation, resulting in limitations in accessing essential services and an increase in protection risks, such as fraud and extortion.
The report also highlights the impact of the termination of Title 42 and the introduction of the CBPOne digital application in the United States, which led to extensive waiting periods in the border area on the Mexican sideexposing people to greater risks such as robbery, kidnapping or extortion.
Faced with this situation, UNHCR offered its support and assistance to 89 shelters run by religious and civil society organizations, especially in Mexico City and northern cities, where the capacity of these spaces was affected by the increase in people on the move. .
Additionally, UNHCR and a broad network of legal partners facilitated access to the asylum process and essential care through 238,000 services, from guidance to advice and legal representation.
Incorporation into the labor market
Since 2016, thanks to the Local Integration Program, 35,000 refugees have joined the formal labor market in Mexicoaccessing basic services such as education and health, with the support of more than 600 companies that have joined the project.
Finally, the report highlights the eight commitments presented by the Government of Mexico at the World Refugee Forum, held in Geneva in December, which seek to strengthen and implement a public policy for the care of refugees and asylum seekers, promoting their socioeconomic inclusion. through health, employment and education services.
