Mexico City, Mexico, October 31, 2022 — In response to the expulsion of thousands of Venezuelans from the U.S. under Title 42—and in addition to the continuing expulsions of people from other countries like Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador—the International Rescue Committee (IRC) announced the expansion of its programs along Mexico’s northern border and in the capital city.
As expulsions under Title 42 continue to increase, the IRC’s support is focused on addressing urgent needs, including:
- Helping families and individuals stabilize after experiencing trauma by providing psychosocial first aid directly at the shelters where they are being received.
- Assisting shelters to fulfill asylum seekers’ necessities, including food, medicines, clothes and utilities by providing multipurpose cash relief.
- Offering access to trustworthy and up-to-date information, through the InfoDigna platform and its team of moderators, which is important for people during decision-making moments to prevent them from facing risks such as human trafficking.
Rafael Velásquez, Country Director for Mexico at the IRC, said:
“For a long time we have seen how restrictive and inhumane border policies like Title 42 only put people who were already in need of protection in further danger. When asylum seekers (including Venezuelans) are expelled from the U.S. to Mexico, they usually arrive in border cities where they encounter risks such as rising violence, perpetrated by organized criminal groups and human trafficking. The local communities face these same dangers while also trying to respond to the needs of arriving asylum seekers.
“Civil society and local communities on both sides of the border have the expertise to help with humanitarian reception services, providing shelter, food, basic medical care, transportation needs, and legal orientation, to name a few. Their capacity to respond, however, has been overstretched after years of continued expulsions and limited support from the international community. Ending restrictive border measures is essential, but it is also important that the international community increases funding and humanitarian resources to countries of origin and those along the routes that asylum seekers follow, ensuring a protection response that is robust enough to meet the moment, as well as that reception systems are scaled, resourced and operate humanely.”
The IRC's Response in Mexico
The IRC launched operations in Mexico in 2019 to respond to humanitarian needs of asylum seekers stuck at the U.S. border as a consequence of policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and Title 42. Since then, the IRC has expanded to respond along the main migration corridors in Mexico: from the southern to the northern borders and along the routes through the country.
Currently, the IRC’s programs offer a timely and comprehensive response to the most urgent needs of people on the move, including: economic recovery and development; mental health and psychosocial support; multipurpose cash assistance to meet people’s basic needs; prevention and response to gender-based violence; access to critical information through InfoDigna, a multi-channel information platform; as well as identifying needs and referring cases to local service providers. Additionally, the IRC is supporting local integration efforts by providing cultural orientation to individuals who have chosen to stay in Mexico.