Migrants in Mexico face deportation and fraud risks

Migrants in Mexico are facing increased vulnerability due to deportation policies and criminal exploitation. Feliciano Moo y Can, director of the Institute for the Development of Mayan Culture (Indemaya), reported that an average of three people from Yucatán are being deported from the United States each month under the migration policies of President Donald Trump.

Indemaya officials highlighted two primary threats to Yucatecan migrants: ICE raids and fraud. The director warned of “bounty hunters” employed by private security firms who allegedly pose as civilians to capture migrants, sometimes without legal justification. Additionally, many migrants are falling victim to extortion and fraud by “coyotes” who promise to regularize legal documents in exchange for money but fail to deliver.

In southern Mexico, members of the “Sueños sin fronteras” caravan are attempting to navigate the country to find employment and process regularization paperwork. Many participants in the caravan are individuals who have previously been returned to Tapachula by the National Institute of Migration or deported from the United States, creating a cycle of displacement and vulnerability as they attempt to move toward northern Mexican states.