For many people looking for a place of refuge, Mexico is not a safe option

Reading about an American couple who migrated to retire in Rosarito Beach (near Tijuana) for economic reasons (The Americans retiring to Mexico for a more affordable life: ‘We are immigrants’, 11 April), I couldn’t help but think of the contrasting reality for people on the move in search of safety in northern Mexico.

My team at the International Rescue Committee recently visited another northern Mexican city, Chihuahua, where every day 500 to 1,500 families and individuals from Honduras, Ecuador and even Mexico sleep in a temporary encampment. Displaced from their homes by increasing violence, climate change, hunger or a combination of these, they hope for a chance to seek safety in the US. The people we spoke to explained the dangers they face in transit, including sexual violence and human trafficking, and the minimal availability of essentials such as water, food and sanitation. Indeed, the encampment has only four portable latrines and one shower.

Unlike the American couple, who could make a planned decision and found a quality of life that most Mexicans cannot achieve, for many people trying to escape from or transiting through the country, leaving home was not a choice, but a matter of saving their lives.

Mexico has historically opened its doors to displaced people from around the world and still does, becoming one of the main recipients of asylum applications. However, for many people looking for a place of refuge, the country is still not a safe option. The international community should ensure necessary support, including funding, to offer protection to displaced people wherever they may find themselves, and continue to develop accessible, alternative secure pathways so that, as mentioned in the article, people “seeking security and opportunity” can request protection where they will feel and be safe to do so.
Rafael Velásquez
Mexico country director, International Rescue Committee