U.S. and Mexico deported more than 200,000 people to Central America

More than 1 million people await a response to their request for asylum in the U.S. A historical figure as a result of the asylum blockade imposed by the Trump administration.

January 17, 2020 – During the year 2019, the humanitarian crisis in the migrant corridor of Central America – Mexico – U.S. left us with alarming figures that require urgent attention in 2020.  The figures reflect the intensification of attacks on migrant populations and undermining of humanitarian protection by the Trump administration in the United States.

The U.S. began 2019 sending asylum seekers to Mexico, under the “Remain in Mexico” policy.  It wrapped up the year sending people to Guatemala, as part of the asylum agreement signed with that country. Similar agreements were also signed with  Honduras and El Salvador.  Those who did manage to submit their asylum applications, despite all the obstacles, faced a system deliberately driven to the verge of collapse- with more than 1 million people awaiting a response (and with little chance of success).  As the year neared its end, we learned that some 200,000 people from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador had been deported to their countries of origin, either from the U.S. or Mexico in 2019. Mexico had taken on a more visible role as a barrier to migrants moving northward in the face of threats from the U.S. government. Despite the alarming numbers, none of the countries involved have announced that it will adopt new measures to improve reintegration services for those who are returned.

Here are some official statistics that illustrate the humanitarian crisis in the region: numbers of Central Americans deported, pending cases of asylum in the U.S. and the looming crisis in Mexico, as it contends with a dramatic increase in refugee requests.