Migrants in Transit-LATAM
- Michelle OCallaghan
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
US Immigration policies and border controls have made it extremely difficult to enter the US legally. Even seeking asylum has become a time-consuming, difficult and expensive process. In January 2025, the CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) One app used by immigrants seeking to enter the USA ceased to accept new appointments. The CBP deactivated the appointment scheduling feature for all ports of entry at the US-Mexican border. This has had a massive impact on Latin America. Thousands are essentially in limbo, stranded in Mexico, Central America and South America.
Reverse Flow Migration
Many migrants who had waited months to enter the USA legally found themselves suddenly left with no options. Others who had spent months migrating to the US border found they were unable to move forward. Instead, many were forced to retrace their steps to return to their home countries, or to another country that is more welcoming. This journey can involve traveling hundreds, even thousands of miles. This social phenomenon has been referred to as reverse flow migration, or simply reverse migration.
These migrants often find their journeys are fraught with difficulties and danger. To make matters worse, humanitarian aid is often limited for those who find themselves in this situation. The people forced to make these journeys struggle to find food, water, safe shelters, and medical services. The routes taken by migrants are often controlled by criminal groups who demand payment in return for safe passage.
In a recent article, it was reported that many of the people turned back at the US-Mexican border are forced to travel to Panama and even as far south as Columbia to find assistance. They arrive "exhausted, frightened, and uncertain about what comes next." They are often forced to travel so many miles due to a reduction or withdrawal of humanitarian aid in many regions because of funding cuts ("As Migration Patterns Shift, HIAS’ Support Remains Steadfast" 2026).
Since President Donald Trump began his second term in office, more than 14,000 people, mainly Venezuelan migrants, have been forced to turn back and reverse their course. They often find themselves in Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia. The ombudsmen offices of these countries have reported that 97% of the people traveling south into these three countries are Venezuelan. These Venezuelans are some of the approximately eight million people who have fled that country since 2017 (Janetsky 2025). For many of these people, their prospects are bleak at best because the very conditions that forced them to leave have not improved. On the contrary, they have gotten worse.
Stranded in Mexico
Others have remained in Mexico in a legally perilous situation without the means to travel south to countries where they are more apt to receive aid. For example, thousands of Haitian refugees are stranded in Mexico. This migration pattern began years ago with recent changes in US immigration policies exacerbating an already difficult situation.
About six miles west of Tijuana, there is a billboard that reads, "Little Haiti, City of God." This Little Haiti was once home to several thousand Haitian refugees who had survived a perilous journey of migration, often starting in Chile and then making their way through the extremely dangerous Darien Gap. One study conducted in 2019 found that of the 95,000 migrants that crossed the sixty-mile Darien Gap, more than 70% were Haitian (Watkins et al 2025, 2). This journey continued from Southern Panama to Mexico. From there, many continued their journeys and sought asylum in the USA.
Initially the USA allowed Haitians to enter and seek asylum, but in September 2016, the Obama Administration changed tactics and Haitians arriving at the US border began to be deported back to Haiti (Robles 2023). Fewer and fewer were willing to risk entering the USA and instead opted to wait in Mexico hoping that immigration conditions would improve. Conditions gradually worsened until 2025 when the the CBP One app stopped allowing anyone at the US-Mexican border to make an appointment essentially cutting off any chance of entering the USA legally in the immediate future.
The International Rescue Committee's 2023 assessment of Haitian immigrants in Mexico found that 90% did not have a steady income to cover basic needs. The Haitian immigrants in Mexico often struggle to find information that is available in their native language, Haitian Creole. Seventy percent of those who took part in this assessment struggled with housing. They are less likely to live in shelters because of a lack of information due to language barriers, discrimination and a basic, limited availability of shelters. Even those who rented rooms often did not have a steady income making their housing situation precarious. Many lived on the streets, in temporary camps or in overcrowded spaces. Almost half of those assessed were food insecure (Over 90% of Haitian... 2023).
Stranded in Central & South America
Refugees are also stranded in Panama, Columbia and elsewhere in Latin America. A report by CNN exposed how nearly 300 migrants deported by the USA were held against their will at a hotel in Panama and a remote camp located at the edge of a jungle. These Asian migrants were deported to Panama because of an agreement between the Trump Administration and the Panamanian authorities. They were trapped. Some of those held at the hotel even resorted to standing at a window holding signs asking for help (Xlong, Rios, and Valdes 2025).
Others find themselves in crowded camps, shelters, on the streets, or struggling to pay for rented rooms. Incomes are often neither reliable nor steady. Migrants also face the threat of deportation. Under these conditions, many must try to save enough to continue on their journey home. The conditions in which they find themselves often leave them vulnerable to exploitation. Regardless of where they are stranded, they frequently have limited access to clean water, food and secure housing. The humanitarian aid that is available is limited. The charities that do assist these migrants in transit are always in need of donations.
Bibliography
HIAS. “As Migration Patterns Shift, HIAS’ Support Remains Steadfast.” Last modified January 30, 2026. https://hias.org/news/migration-patterns-shift-hias-support-remains-steadfast/.
International Rescue Committee. "Over 90% of Haitian asylum seekers in Mexico lack resources to cover basic needs, IRC warns." Last modified April 27, 2023. https://www.rescue.org/press-release/over-90-haitian-asylum-seekers-mexico-lack-resources-cover-basic-needs-irc-warns
Janetsky, Megan. “14,000 U.S.-bound migrants have returned south since Trump's border changes, UN says .” PBS.org. Last modified August 29, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/14000-u-s-bound-migrants-have-returned-south-since-trumps-border-changes-un-says.
Robles, Justo. "The Haitians who built a community in Tijuana – but are still stranded." The Guardian.com, accessed February 16, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/tijuana-haitian-community-us-immigration
Watkins, Loreto, Francesca McLaren, Lindsey Carte, Carla Olivari, Kenya Lazos, and Teresita Rocha-Jiménez. "Health in Transit: A case study on the migratory trajectories of Haitian populations in Chile and Mexico," Journal of Migration and Health Volume 11, (2025): 2.
Xlong, Yong, Michael Rios, and Ivonne Valdés. "‘We are in danger’: Migrants deported from US were locked in hotel and held at remote camp in Panama, lawyers say." CNN.com. Last modified February 22, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/22/americas/migrants-deported-camp-panama-intl-latam
Comments