Human traffickers shift routes from US to Mexico after Trump’s border restrictions

A veteran smuggler known as “Pedro” describes how his 30‑year career moving migrants across the US‑Mexico border has adapted to former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Pedro, who operates in Sonora and Chiapas, once handled hundreds of migrants weekly, using a network of safe houses staffed by women cooks and helpers.

Since the implementation of Trump’s executive order designating cartels as terrorist organizations, trafficking routes have moved several hundred kilometres south, making journeys riskier and increasingly ending in Mexico rather than the United States. Despite reduced flow, the business remains profitable, with fees of about $8,000 for Mexican migrants and $11,500 for Central Americans, and payments often split among several cartel‑linked intermediaries. The interview highlights the tight link between human‑smuggling operations and Mexico’s drug cartels, showing how the networks reorganise to survive political changes in the United States.