Trump aid cuts slash help for migrants stuck in Mexico

USAID freeze means NGOs cut help to migrants in Mexico

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Rise in asylum applications in Mexico likely

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Thousands stranded in Mexican limbo

By Diana Baptista

MEXICO CITY, – U .S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on migration has left thousands of migrants stranded in Mexico as organizations helping them have been forced to limit their operations and cut staff due to budgets slashed by the U.S. freeze on foreign aid.

Since Trump froze foreign aid funds in January, numerous local and international organizations and shelters working near the U.S.-Mexico border say they are struggling to provide migrants, including families with children, with housing, legal, psychological and medical services.

“Migration has always been a delicate issue, but the border shutdown and the cancellation of foreign aid brings a humanitarian crisis we haven’t seen before,” said Arturo Gomez, program coordinator at Asylum Access Mexico, an organization providing legal assistance and integration programs for people seeking asylum in Mexico.

As part of an immigration crackdown, Trump closed the border during his first days in office and shut down the U.S. Customs and Border Protection One app that allowed people to schedule an appointment to present an asylum claim with U.S. authorities at the Mexico border.

As the program was canceled, Mexico also stopped providing documents to allow migrants to travel to the U.S. border without the risk of being detained, deported, or sent back to Mexico’s southern border by Mexican authorities.

“These have stranded thousands of people who were waiting or already had an appointment with CBP One, which increased our work in the northern border. Many of these people are now opting to seek asylum in Mexico,” said Gomez.

Despite the increased need for its services, Asylum Access Mexico announced in April the closure of three of its offices in the cities of Palenque, Tenosique and Monterrey, key points of arrival for migrants deported from the United States.

Gomez said that without access to the services provided by civil society organizations, migrants would try reaching the United States illegally and put their lives in danger.

“The lack of access to services leaves people vulnerable to recruitment of organized crime groups as a way to sustain themselves … and to become victims of human trafficking,” said Gomez.

However, the number of people trying to cross illegally into the United States appears to have also dropped.

In March, 11,017 migrants were arrested along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, down from a monthly average of 155,000 over the past four years.

Although the number of people successfully making illegal crossings is unknown, the number of those arrested attempting to enter the United States provides an indication of the trend.

UNHCR FUNDS SLASHED

Around 70% of Asylum Access Mexico’s funding came from the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, which in turn received money from the U.S. State Department and distributed it to several organizations and shelters in Mexico.

Last year, the U.S. contributed 86% of UNHCR’s $58 million budget for its Mexico operations, according to its November funding report.

The reduction in foreign aid is expected to reduce UNHCR’s budget for Mexico by 60%, a spokesperson said.

The U.N. agency not only distributed funds to Mexican organizations, but it is also an important donor to the federal Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, which last year received nearly 80,000 requests for asylum in Mexico.

The U.N. agency said in a statement it was facing severe financial difficulties forcing it to cut costs, limit projects and reduce the support given to organizations.

“Consequently, people seeking asylum and refugees could face larger barriers in the access to services, as well as an increase in the risks to their protection,” said a spokesperson in an emailed response.

SERVICES CUT

USAID cuts have significantly affected humanitarian organization across the world working on life-saving programs, from vital HIV healthcare to demining projects and food aid.

The USAID cuts have also threatened the operations of renowned shelter Casa Frida, which supports a monthly average of 300 LGBTQ asylum seekers, refugees and internally displaced people in three locations across Mexico.

In January, the organization received a notice suspending all their activities related to the funding given by the United States, as part of USAID, accounting for 60% of their 2025 budget.

“Casa Frida is a protection mechanism that reduces risks for victims of human rights violations. Now, these people could be left without our services of shelter and refuge,” said Raul Caporal, director of Casa Frida.

To prevent the suspension of services, Casa Frida launched a funding campaign and has met government officials to seek alternative resources to fill the funding gap.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.