US President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies have left thousands of migrants in limbo on Mexico’s southern border. With mass deportations ramping up and the controversial “Remain in Mexico” programme reinstated, asylum offices in Tapachula have been overwhelmed by a surge in applications.

Hundreds of migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Central America have flooded Mexico’s centres managed by the Commission for Refugee Assistance (Comar) in search of asylum, enduring precarious conditions. Many have resorted to sleeping on the streets while awaiting a response. Frustration has led to clashes with the National Guard, which attempted to disperse crowds using riot gear.

Some, like Cuban national Jaqueline Alfonso, have chosen to stay in Mexico due to uncertainty over their future in the United States. “I didn’t come here intending to go to the US – I want to build a life here,” she told EFE, though she criticised the slow asylum process.

Trump’s crackdown and its impact on Mexico

Trump’s administration has escalated its crackdown on migration. In his first week back in power, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency carried out more than 3,500 arrests of undocumented migrants – an unprecedented figure. Meanwhile, the Republican-led Congress is pushing for stricter laws, such as the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the detention of migrants accused of certain crimes.

As Washington tightens its borders, neighbouring Mexico is being forced to handle a growing migrant backlog. An estimated 270,000 people remain stranded in the country with no clear path to regularisation. To make matters worse, organised crime has turned these migrants into easy targets for extortion. In some areas, gangs have reportedly begun marking victims with wristbands to indicate who has paid for “safe passage” into the US.

Mexico’s dilemma: asylum or deportation?

Under increasing pressure, Claudia Sheinbaum’s government has announced measures to assist migrants, but with strict limitations. Authorities have made it clear that asylum will not be granted to those merely seeking a shortcut to the United States. Simultaneously, the Interior Ministry has introduced a reintegration scheme for deported Mexicans, promising 35,000 jobs in partnership with the private sector.

But these efforts fail to address the underlying issue. A deported migrant returning to Michoacán – where cartels control entire regions – faces a grim choice: surrender to extortion or risk crossing the border again.

Trump’s return has exacerbated the migration crisis, placing the Central American nation in an unsustainable position. Without a robust support system, migrants risk remaining trapped between violence, bureaucracy, and ever-tighter border controls. As Washington doubles down on enforcement against what it calls "undocumented aliens", Mexico is left to manage a crisis with no clear resolution in sight.