More than half of migrants suffered some type of abuse on their way to Mexico in 2024

Mexico City.- In 2024, 58% of migrants suffered some type of abuse, such as robbery or physical threats on their way to Mexico, according to a study by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) published this Tuesday.

The report titled 'Trends and Challenges of Forced Displacement in Mexico' revealed that 58% of the surveyed population suffered a security incident before arriving in Mexico. Of that percentage, the crime most recorded during the surveys was robbery (36%), extortion (20%), and physical threat and intimidation (13%). "These percentages are higher than those recorded in the monitoring carried out in 2023, which suggests the deterioration of conditions on the migratory route before reaching Mexico." According to figures from the Mexican Government, from January to December 2024, 1,234,698 events of people in an irregular migratory situation were recorded, which accounts for the magnitude of the phenomenon and the challenge it represents for national institutions in terms of protection, humanitarian assistance, and migration management.

The document also mentioned that 40% of migrants who crossed Mexico in 2024 suffered some security incident, a percentage that rises to 64% in the north of the country.

However, the percentage of migrants who experienced some type of security incident in Mexico decreased compared to 2023, when 56% of the surveyed population reported having experienced this problem. According to monitoring, the main incidents were theft (19%), extortion (9%), kidnapping (9%), physical threats or intimidation (9%), and fraud (6%). Furthermore, the report detailed that the lack of documentation is one of the main causes explaining the prevalence of protection risks in the country. "People who transit and arrive in Mexico are exposed to traveling through dangerous routes because they are afraid of being detained by immigration authorities," he explained. In that sense, he specified that in 2024, 83% of the surveyed population reported not having any type of documentation issued by the Mexican authorities, and only 6% mentioned having proof of processing from the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (Comar). The figure contrasts significantly with that reported in 2023, when 31% of the surveyed population did not have a document issued by the Mexican authorities. On the other hand, the organization indicated that 53% of the surveyed population reported that they left their country of origin due to violence, threats or intimidation and 43% due to fear of the general situation of violence or insecurity in their country, while 37% did so due to lack of employment or low income. Furthermore, 76% of those consulted stated that they would face a risk if the person returned to their country of origin.

Mexico, the destination country

The report also indicates that the main destination for migrants on the move was Mexico (41%), while in 2023 only 26% of those surveyed wanted to stay in the country. Among the people who intended to settle in the country, those from Cuba (83%), Haiti (64%), El Salvador (56%), Nicaragua (46%), Honduras (45%) and Guatemala (40%) stand out. According to data from the UNHCR, 55% of the surveyed population traveled in family groups and, within this portion, the most numerous type of family is single-parent (20%).

You may be interested in: Brooklyn and Queens immigrants lead list for millionaire compensation for illegal detentions in New York

Also, one in three people who participated in the survey were girls, boys, and adolescents. "The presence of families is one of the main characteristics of forced displacement: it is entire families that are displaced, the entire social fabric is disrupted by violence, persecution, threats and other causes that alter public order," he emphasized. The survey, conducted between January and December of last year at different points in Mexico, includes interviews with 14,000 migrant people of different nationalities, where Honduran (25%), Venezuelan (22%) and Cuban (9%) have more weight.