US: Migrants build makeshift life in Mexico City while waiting for asylum

Mexico City: “That’s it, dude! Done!,” exclaimed Eliezer Lopez as he jumped up and down, throwing his arms to the sky and drawing a sign of the cross across his chest. His joy was so contagious, his friends started to emerge from nearby tents to celebrate with him.

Lopez, a 20-year-old Venezuelan migrant in Mexico City, had reason to rejoice: after several frustrating attempts, he was able to secure an appointment to seek asylum in the US.

He is one of thousands of migrants whose US.-bound journey has landed them in the Mexican capital, the southernmost point until recently from which

migrants can register to request an appointment to seek asylum through the US Customs and Border Protection’s mobile app known as CBP One.

Since June, when the Biden administration announced significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum, the app became one of the only ways to request asylum at the Southwest border.

This US asylum policy and its geographic limits are a driving force behind the emergence of migrant encampments throughout the Mexican capital where thousands of migrants wait weeks — even months — in limbo, living in crowded, makeshift camps with poor sanitation and grim living conditions.

From point of transit to temporary destination

Historically, Mexico City has not been a stop for northbound migrants. They try to cross the country quickly to reach the northern border.

But the delays in securing an appointment, coupled with the danger that plagues cartel-controlled northern Mexico border cities and the increased crackdown

by Mexican authorities on migrants have combined to turn Mexico City from a point of transit to a temporary destination for thousands.