While the Mexican government has enacted certain reforms to address the needs of asylum seekers in the country, the Kino Border Initiative has identified significant shortfalls.
- “Lack of adequate screening to determine candidates for asylum.
- Misinformation about the asylum process and rights, or active discouragement of seeking asylum.
- Lack of access to legal assistance or representation.
- Prolonged detention as well as poor and often intimidating conditions there, including use of force and other mistreatment.
- Poor training and supervision of immigration agents.
- Expedited asylum decisions that don’t give full consideration to the applicant.”
Asylum seekers are expected to get the process moving within 30 days of arrival in the country, which is an unreasonable expectation. Mexico is expecting to process three times as many asylum applications as they did last year. Conditions in Central America have not demonstrably improved to lead anyone to expect push factors have been reduced.
Mexico should expect increased asylum applications for the foreseeable future, as the US continues to fortify its southern border and make itself a less welcoming place for immigrants and asylum seekers, especially for those people of color. As the US must invest in its asylum process, so it should assist Mexico in developing its own. However, neither should replace US and Mexican efforts to address the root causes of migration out of Central America and elsewhere in the region.
