Migrants stranded in Mexico try to restart life after Trump eliminates legal pathway to US

By JULIE WATSON

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — Margelis Rodriguez and her 2 children took selfies connected their formation to Tijuana, showing disconnected the T-shirts she had custom-made to people what she expected to beryllium her family’s life-changing moment.

On the backmost of the shirts were their names and the flags of the six countries they passed done successful 2024. On the beforehand betwixt the flags of her autochthonal Venezuela and the United States, was written successful Spanish: “Yes it was possible, convey God. The hold was worthy it. I made it!!”

The celebratory words present sting — driving location however adjacent they came without making it and however precarious their lives are with their aboriginal much uncertain than ever, Rodriguez said portion lasting adjacent the structure her household lives successful astatine a shelter successful Tijuana, a artifact from the towering partition marking the U.S. border.

The household is among tens of thousands of radical who had appointments into February, galore of them near stranded successful Mexican borderline cities aft President Donald Trump took office. As portion of a broader immigration crackdown, his medication rapidly canceled each appointments radical had made done a U.S. authorities app. Under the Biden administration, the CBP One app facilitated the introduction of astir 1 cardinal radical since January 2023, and supporters accidental it helped bring bid to the borderline and reduced illegal crossings.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates astir 280,000 radical were trying to get appointments each day, galore of them aft traveling to Mexico, the lone state wherever the app worked. Now they look the daunting question of what to bash next.

Some returned home. Others near shelters vowing to transverse the borderline illegally. The Rodriguez household appears to seizure the prevailing mood: Stay enactment and spot however Trump’s policies unfold implicit the adjacent fewer months.

Everything changed successful a moment

Rodriguez flew to Tijuana with her 12-year-old lad and 6-year-old girl connected Jan. 19, the time earlier Trump was sworn in. She ne'er disquieted the alteration successful administrations would impact their Jan. 21 appointment. A Venezuelan person in Chicago had a occupation for her astatine a factory, a spot to unrecorded and a schoolhouse for her children.

She cried erstwhile the notification popped into her email. “It felt similar being punched,” she said. But she inactive went to the larboard of introduction with her children astatine 5 a.m. and waited 7 hours, hoping to beryllium called. They ne'er were.

It has been implicit a twelvemonth since they near their hometown of Tumeremo successful a portion plagued by unit and pack feuds tied to amerciable golden mining successful the remote, mineral-rich country adjacent the borders of Guyana and Brazil. Rodriguez said gangs progressively controlled beingness there, including by shuttering her children’s schoolhouse periodically and hiding successful people’s houses.

She and her household near with her person and the friend’s 16-year-old son, taking buses and walking 2 1/2 days done the rugged Darién Gap. They spent 9 months successful Pachuca, extracurricular Mexico City, wherever Rodriguez, 38, recovered jobs astatine a tortilla shop, butchery and past caretaking portion waiting for their CBP One appointment.

Life successful Tijuana

Nearly each the wealth she earned was spent connected the travel to Tijuana. She doesn’t person the $1,200 needed to instrumentality to Pachuca.

She and her children walk the days successful an uncomfortable authorities of boredom piqued with anxiety. They assistance cleanable the bathrooms, navigator and expanse astatine the shelter.

“There are nary kids present my property truthful I don’t play with anyone,” said her son, Mickel, who dreams of becoming a shot subordinate and buying his ma a house.

At night, the household stays successful the shelter’s covered patio filled with astir 3 twelve tiny tents nether a elephantine banner that reads: “This is astir humanity.” They stock their structure with her Venezuelan person and her son, the boy’s feet hanging retired of the opening.

Rodriguez has not been capable to sleep.

“I person truthful galore worries,” she said.

She won’t enactment her children astatine hazard by trying to participate the U.S. illegally. Her ma says things successful Venezuela are worse than ever. Family and friends successful Denver and Chicago who entered the United States nether a Biden medication programme that granted them humanitarian parole fearfulness they whitethorn beryllium deported.

“I don’t spot thing that gives maine hope,” she said. “All I spot is everyone getting deported.”

Though she worries astir information successful Tijuana, she is applying for a Mexican visa truthful she tin enactment there. She plans to commencement flat hunting and enrolling her children successful school.

Looking for hope

On a caller afternoon, she and her children and a fractional twelve different migrants walked to a laundromat, the T-shirts she had made wadded up successful a container of soiled laundry that teetered connected a stroller she pushed down unbroken pavement past a battalion of dogs and radical picking done a heap of trash. A Haitian person of Rodriguez’s hung backmost and scanned for occupation arsenic they walked connected the borderline of a reddish airy territory filled with portion bars.

A fewer days later, she was much astatine ease. A section pastor had reassured Rodriguez that she’s successful the champion spot close now.

“Look astatine the concern with migrants successful the United States, wherever they are chasing retired everyone,” she said, echoing his words.

Her relatives archer her things mightiness amended successful a fewer months, saying the U.S. is conscionable “cleaning out” the immigrants with transgression records and possibly the Trump medication volition unfastened different ineligible pathway.

“We person been near stranded, stuck successful limbo,” she said. “Of people astatine times I inactive despair, but I besides support a spot of hope, too. We conscionable person to commencement over, commencement implicit again.”

Originally Published: February 11, 2025 astatine 1:25 PM EST