Migrants march from Tapachula: 'We feel like prisoners'

A group of approximately 500 migrants, many of them Cubans, left Tapachula near the border with Guatemala on Tuesday night to protest long waits for paperwork and request authorization to move to areas with greater employment prospects.

The march highlights the desperate situation of thousands of migrants who feel trapped in the southern Mexican border city, especially after the Trump administration canceled programs like CBP One and humanitarian parole.

Joandri Velázquez’s Testimony

“Without papers, there are no opportunities. We migrants feel like prisoners in Tapachula,” said Joandri Velázquez Zaragoza, a 40-year-old Cuban national who supports a wife and two children back home, where a worsening crisis is marked by widespread power outages and food shortages.

The evangelical pastor, who also works as a mason, arrived in Tapachula in August 2024. He originally sought an asylum appointment in the US through the CBP One mobile app but was unsuccessful. Following the termination of the program under the return of the Trump administration, he filed for asylum in Mexico; however, his application and subsequent appeal were both rejected.

An Evolving Migration Crisis

Tapachula has long served as a hub for transient populations. In recent months, it has seen an influx of third-country nationals, particularly Cubans deported by the Trump administration, although the Mexican government has yet to release official figures regarding these arrivals.

While foot marches are common in the region, they no longer target the United States. Over the past year, groups of a few hundred migrants have typically dispersed within days without traveling beyond southern Mexico.

New Labor Policies

The group marched under the observation of the National Guard, the National Migration Institute, and local police, none of whom attempted to stop them. On the day the march began, the Mexican government announced a new agreement to boost labor inclusion for people in transit across southern states such as Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco and Quintana Roo.

Trafficking and Corruption

The Southern Border Monitoring Collective, a coalition of civil society groups, warned this week that people in transit are paying up to about $2,300 for documentation that is legally free. The collective also denounced the increased militarization of Mexico’s southern border and the Northern Triangle, stating that heightened security measures have intensified the risks and abuses faced by migrants.

Recent Tragedies

On Monday, Mexican authorities discovered 229 migrants trapped inside a truck in Veracruz. The vehicle had been towed to a police impound lot following a stolen-vehicle report, but officers realized people were inside only when the migrants began shouting for help.

The Cuban Context

The situation is particularly desperate for Cubans, who face a completely transformed migration landscape:

Energy crisis: Cuba suffers blackouts lasting up to 16 hours daily
Oil blockade: Trump has reduced Venezuelan oil supply by 90%
Record deportations: 427 Cubans have been deported in 2026, compared to 170 in all of the previous year
Legal limbo: 300,000 Cubans in the US lost their humanitarian parole processes

For many like Velázquez, Tapachula has become a dead end where basic survival is a daily struggle. “We came looking for an opportunity, but here we only find more desperation,” he confided to journalists during the march.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are migrants marching from Tapachula?: The approximately 500 migrants are marching to protest long waits for paperwork and request authorization to move to areas with greater employment prospects. Many feel like 'prisoners' in the border city without papers or work.
What happened to legal migration programs like CBP One?: The Trump administration canceled programs like CBP One and humanitarian parole, closing the legal pathways that many Cuban and Central American migrants used to apply for asylum in the United States.
What's the situation of Cubans deported to Mexico?: Many Cubans have been deported by the US to Mexico, creating a 'stateless' population that cannot return to Cuba and has no legal status in Mexico. They live in precarious conditions in cities like Tapachula.
What new labor policies did Mexico announce?: The Mexican government announced a new agreement to boost labor inclusion for people in transit across southern states such as Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco and Quintana Roo, coinciding with the start of the march.