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Thank You!

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for your generous contribution on Giving Tuesday. Your support helps us continue our mission to dismantle oppressive systems in Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama and Mexico. Your gift is a reminder of the power of community, and we couldn't do this important work without you.

 

The State of Migrant Shelters in Mexico

From November 10-22, 2024, Quixote Center traveled to three different regions of Mexico where we visited a dozen migrant shelters and meal programs, most of them run by members of the Franciscan Network on Migration. Starting off in southern Mexico in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas, we then traveled to Queretaro in the central region and completed our journey in Monterrey in the north. This is a small sample in such a vast country however it allows us to assess the readiness of the existing infrastructure and services in place for migrants and deportees before the new US administration implements harsh migration policies.

During our week-long Solidarity Travel to southern Mexico, our delegation met with human right defenders working at shelters in Villahermosa, Tenosique, El Ceibo in Guatemala and at Salto de Agua in the state of Chiapas. Their operations are supported by international organizations such as the IOM and UNHCR and they also receive donations from local food banks and the Church. Apart from La 72 shelter i ([link removed])n Tenosique that accommodates longer stays, the other shelters we visited offer 2-to-3-night stays, while also serving three meals a day. Most of them offered legal counsel but apart from the Amparo shelter ([link removed]), in Villahermosa, none were currently providing medical or psychological assistance, which is much needed for the many migrants suffering from trauma. 90% of the people they serve have been deported by the INM at the US border, sending them back to the southern border in Tabasco. Most of them want to try entering the US again by getting a CBP One appointment while others try to get their refugee status in Mexico.

While in Tenosique, we also had the chance to visit the government run shelter Centro de Asistencia Social para Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes Migrantes (CASANNAM). The contrast with the other shelters we visited was stark, not just for the abundant space and resources this facility had but mostly the people who work there. It felt more like a detention center for migrant families than a shelter and although the staff claimed that it was an open-door shelter where guests were free to go when they wanted, their protocol of confiscating valuable items as migrants check in, including phones and passports, suggest otherwise. They have a dorm of 250 beds all in the same huge space unlike the smaller shelters who had separated units for men and women and children. CASANNAM's sub-director kept saying that their guests are "channeled" by the National Migration Institute (INM) to complete their refugee status paperwork. The reality is that INM apprehends migrants and sends them to this facility by force.

In the central region of the country, Quixote Center visited the Queretaro diocese run Toribio Romo shelter ([link removed]) where all the staff is 100% volunteer and offer a short term stay before directing migrants to San Luis de Potosi where the catholic organization Caritas has a larger operation for longer stays and comprehensive services. Even though they have limited services in Queretaro, they seem to have abundant resources and supplies and a capacity that well exceeds the 22 beds they currently have. The shelter coordinator gave us a map made by the Spanish Red Cross which locates most shelters throughout the migration corridor between Panama and Mexico. The INM prohibits them to distribute the map to migrants, clearly indicating that the migration authorities want to make the journey as difficult as possible for migrants to reach the US border.

On the second week, we joined the Franciscan Network on Migration national assembly in Monterrey where we visited Casa Indi which serves both migrant and homeless male populations with dorms of 900 beds that get filled every night. Many more end up sleeping outside in the streets because they don't want to follow the shelter rules on sobriety and drug use. Their main challenge is that many migrants don't feel comfortable sharing shelter with homeless people as some carry knives and suffer from addictions. Casa Indi has several sister institutions that serve women and children as well as meal programs that feed thousands of people every day. The work they do is remarkable. As Monterrey continues to attract more people with its vibrant economy and job market, the demand for essential migrant services will grow even more with the expected rise in deportations from the US.

Overall, the state of migrant shelters in Mexico reveals a complex landscape where the support provided by shelters run by human right defenders starkly contrasts with the government run facilities. The migrant journey through Mexico is fraught with danger as they navigate through cartel territories and hostile government agencies that prey on these vulnerable populations. The new Mexican government will need to mobilize many more resources to respond to the rise in deportations from the US in the coming years. Our partners running shelters work tirelessly to provide critical services to migrants, but can be overwhelmed by the impact of US anti-immigration policies.Quixote Center is proud to support the Franciscan Network on Migration in their mission to welcome, to protect to promote and to integrate migrants being deported to or transiting through Mexico.

 

Take Action to Protect Haitian and Nicaraguan Refugees

President Biden has less than two months to take action to protect Haitian and Nicaraguan immigrants whose Temporary Protection Status will expire during the next Administration, and to offer TPS to recently-arrived immigrants from those countries. We call on the White House to act now while we still can. You may use the template letter that we have drafted or create your own. We thank you all for supporting Haitian and Nicaraguan nationals who are contributing so much to our country.

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