This SNAPSHOT summarizes the findings of protection monitoring conducted in Ciudad Juarez and Tapachula, Mexico in March 2022 as part of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Jesuit Refugee Service Mexico (JRS) humanitarian response ), as part of a consortium with Save the Children Spain and Mexico, Plan International Spain and Mexico and HIAS Mexico, with the financial support of the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). To view the interactive dashboard with the results of this period and the start of the protection monitoring program, click here.

conditions in Ciudad Juarez continued to deteriorate in March, with the ability to enter the United States hampered by the continued implementation of restrictions known as Title 42. Only one organization in the region offered legal assistance to particularly vulnerable people to to seek asylum in the United States. as exceptions to Title 42, leaving the majority of those in care waiting indefinitely and exposed to misinformation, fraud, and risky options for crossing the border irregularly. During the month, there was increased surveillance at the border, with a significant presence of different Mexican authorities – in particular the National Guard and the Mexican army – near the line separating Mexico from the United States, as well as widespread checkpoints throughout the city. At the same time, there have been multiple abuses against people of concern to UNHCR in some shelters, including security incidents and evictions, as well as the sale of food for humanitarian aid. In the second half of the month, reports of the impending end of Title 42 restrictions began circulating. For weeks, the lack of official information in this regard – until the official announcement by the American authorities at the beginning of April – favored the spread of doubts and rumors that overwhelmed the capacity of humanitarian actors to provide credible information.

Among recently arrived persons of concern Tapachula, an increased interest was detected in obtaining a humanitarian visa (Tarjeta de Visitante por Razones Humanitarias or TVRH) in order to transit to the north of the country, as well as a decrease in requests for information or support in the cases before the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados or COMAR). During the month of March, the National Institute for Migration (INM, by its Spanish acronym) again resorted to ad hoc measures to issue the TVRH, issuing it as a means of avoiding protests, including those that were undertaken during the Mexican President’s visit to Tapachula. The high demand for the TVRH – which allows free movement within Mexican territory for one year – and the lack of transparency on how to obtain it have led to an increase in the number of people seeking the attention of the INM. In mid-March, the INM delegation closed its office without notice and suspended the availability of appointments via the online platform. This situation has exacerbated the protests, especially in an informal camp in the Bicentenaire park, where a collective departure in a caravan is planned.