A restless crowd of individuals gathered under the intense morning sun in a remote area of Mexico, each person seeking to board a flight out of the country. However, their destination was not the United States, as previously hoped, but rather a return to Venezuela or simply an escape from their current location.
Currently, at least 3,000 Venezuelans find themselves stranded in Tapachula, a hot city near the southern tip of Mexico that once served as a transit point for migrants entering from Guatemala. Previously bustling with thousands of migrants, the city now appears stagnant, with empty shelters and deserted parks.
The trend has shifted toward reverse migration, as individuals, disillusioned by the hard-line immigration policies, have chosen to return to their home countries, which are marred by violence, poverty, and climate change. They are abandoning their aspirations for a better life, at least temporarily.
The remaining migrants in Tapachula are largely unable to leave due to a lack of necessary documentation and resources. Mexico’s immigration policies, influenced by both the Biden and Trump administrations, restrict their movement, preventing them from exiting the city or returning to Venezuela easily.
Patricia Marval, a pregnant Venezuelan mother of three, expressed her feelings of entrapment in a one-room shack, struggling to provide basic necessities for her family. The dire situation has led her to contemplate painful decisions to ensure her children can eat.
According to Eduardo Castillejos, an official managing migrant affairs in Chiapas, approximately 8,000 to 10,000 migrants, primarily from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti, are in similar predicaments. He noted that Venezuelans are particularly desperate, facing significant obstacles without resources or travel documents.
The Mexican government has intensified efforts to reduce the flow of migrants toward the U.S. border, implementing strict regulations that require migrants to obtain special permits to leave Tapachula. Those attempting to travel without proper documentation often encounter immigration checkpoints where they risk detention.
For those wishing to leave the country, challenges persist. Many lack valid passports or identity documents, and humanitarian flights back to Venezuela are limited, with numerous individuals on waiting lists for these flights.
Mari Angeli Useche, another migrant, described her predicament as akin to imprisonment, as she awaits a humanitarian flight to return to Venezuela before giving birth. Others, like Keila Mendoza, who has faced kidnapping and abandonment, struggle to support their children while lacking the means to return to their homeland.
Many migrants in Tapachula, including mothers with children born in different countries, face uncertainty due to a lack of official documentation. This situation exacerbates their fears of returning to Venezuela, where they feel there is nothing left for them.
Marielis Luque, who fled Venezuela with her daughters, recounted her harrowing journey and the regret she feels for exposing her children to such dangers. Increasingly, those who can afford to return are choosing to do so, as evidenced by groups of Venezuelans waiting for buses bound for Guatemala.
Deisy Morales, one of the migrants preparing to return, expressed her preference for facing hardship in her home country rather than in a foreign land, illustrating the difficult choices many are forced to make.