No way out: MSF report shows damaging health impacts of US-Mexico migration policies

Harsh deterrence policies introduced by the US and Mexico in recent years have increased the dangers for migrants and asylum seekers. Under the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols, people applying for asylum in the US are forced to remain in Mexico, where they are often repeatedly targeted by criminal groups for kidnapping and extortion. In October alone, 75 percent (33/44) of our patients in Nuevo Laredo returned under the MPP had been kidnapped recently. 

“Central American asylum seekers in Mexico are particular targets for kidnapping and violence, which means their lives are at risk,” said Martin. “Without safe and legal alternatives, they are at the mercy of human trafficking networks and criminal organizations that prey on the most vulnerable people. This all has serious consequences for their physical and mental health.”

The criminalization of migration further jeopardizes people’s health and safety. MSF also provides medical and mental health care to people who have been detained and deported by the US. Many of MSF’s patients in Mexico report having been held in terrible conditions in the US—sometimes in frigid cells (described in Spanish as hieleras, or freezers), with the lights turned on 24 hours a day, with limited access to health care, and without adequate food, clothing, and blankets.

In Mexico, the teams have visited various detention centers for migrants where overcrowding, insufficient medical care, and lack of adequate resources are the norm. During these visits, the teams treated people with infectious diseases and diarrhea, as well as victims of violence, in particular those with acute mental health needs.

Recent US policies and bilateral agreements reached with Mexico and other regional governments are effectively dismantling the system to protect refugees and asylum seekers. These measures leave Central Americans with nowhere to turn for protection and no viable way to escape the violence.

Insecurity, pervasive violence, and the lack of adequate protection mechanisms have clear impacts on the physical and mental health of the patients treated by MSF. Teams see conditions commonly suffered by people on the move, such as respiratory infections, skin disorders, and acute musculoskeletal problems. They also treat a range of injuries from weapons and from kidnappings, sexual abuse, and rape. Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress conditions precipitated by a violent event are some of the main reasons why people seek mental health services.

MSF currently works along the migration route in Mexico in Mexicali, Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Matamoros, Mexico City, Coatzacoalcos, and Tenosique. MSF also runs projects in San Salvador, El Salvador, and in Choloma and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.