Migrant Passage Through Mexico to the US Tripled in the First Semester; Venezuela is the Main Expelling Country

Record Figures of Irregular Migration Through Mexico in 2024

In the first half of 2024, irregular migration through Mexico increased by 193% compared to the same period the previous year, according to data from the Mexican government. The authorities reported 712,226 "people in an irregular migratory situation" between January and June 2024, almost triple the 242,928 registered in the first semester of 2023.

In just six months, irregular migration in Mexico almost reached the record of 782,176 migrants detected throughout 2023, when this flow increased by 77% annually. The main country of origin of the migrants is Venezuela, with 200,289 registered, which implies an increase of 215% and represents more than one in four of the total irregular migration in 2024.

Pressure on Mexico's Southern Border and Decrease in Arrests at the Border with the United States

The increase in migration in Mexico contrasts with the decrease in arrests at the border with the United States, where detentions of undocumented immigrants fell by 73% from the highest point in December to 3,415 reported at the end of July, according to Mexican Chancellor Alicia Bárcena.

Washington's pressure on Mexico has grown in the face of the November presidential elections in the United States, where migration and the common border have been a key issue. However, at the limit of Mexico with Central America, migration has not stopped and its inhabitants feel overwhelmed, according to Denis Olivera Aguirre, secretary general of the Asociación Impulsora para el Desarrollo de los Mercados in Tapachula, the main border town.

Risks and Challenges for Migrants on Their Journey Through Mexico

The flow of people is rising despite the growing dangers faced by migrants in Chiapas, a state on Mexico's southern border that suffers from a dispute by organized crime to control drug and human trafficking. Some migrants, like Honduran Carlos Rivera, travel with fear due to the kidnappings and violence affecting the region.

Other migrants are torn between continuing to the United States or staying in Mexico, where the government has promised refuge for those who want to work in the country, particularly in the south. Mexican activist Luis Rey García Villagrán, from the Centro de Dignificación Humana, considered the work of the National Institute of Migration and the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance insufficient, and warned of a persistent increase in migration due to crises in other countries, such as the political situation in Venezuela.

Irregular migration through Mexico has reached record figures in 2024, with a 193% increase in the first semester compared to the same period the previous year. Venezuela has become the main expelling country, with more than 200,000 migrants registered. Although arrests at the border with the United States have decreased, migration pressure on Mexico's southern border continues, testing the resources and response capacity of Mexican authorities. Migrants face numerous risks and challenges on their journey through Mexico, but many persist in their search for a better future, whether in the United States or Mexico.