The Mexican government has announced a plan to provide escorted bus rides to the United States border for migrants with approved U.S. asylum appointments, following the tragic death of three migrants on an Oaxaca highway.
Mexico’s National Immigration Institute (INM) will offer bus services from Villahermosa (Tabasco) and Tapachula (Chiapas) to non-Mexican migrants who have secured asylum consultations with U.S. authorities through the CBP One app. The U.S. recently expanded access to the app in southern Mexico, allowing migrants to apply for appointments as soon as they cross from Guatemala.
This initiative aims to dissuade migrants from undertaking the dangerous journey north on foot. Activists had urged the government to enhance protections for migrant caravans, especially after the recent fatalities. Previously, access to the app was limited to central and northern Mexico, forcing migrants to travel as far as Mexico City to secure asylum appointments. Mexico had long advocated for the app’s expansion to the south, hoping to ease the pressure on migrants.
The government believes the expanded app access will encourage migrants to remain in southern Mexico instead of traveling to Mexico City, where many have set up makeshift camps. However, the lack of jobs and housing in the south, along with prolonged waiting times, continues to push migrants northward.
Waiting in Mexico City is perceived as safer than waiting at the U.S. border, where cartels often target migrants. Even those with appointments risk being apprehended and sent back south by Mexican authorities, missing their scheduled consultations.
In response to these challenges, the government will offer security, meals, and 20-day transit permits to migrants during their bus journey. This move coincides with Oaxaca’s consideration of banning migrants after reports of robberies along the migrant route.
