Medellin, Colombia – Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM) has been conducting large-scale raids in Mexico City since early May, targeting migrants mainly from Venezuela and Central America.
NGOs across the city have condemned the stepped-up anti-immigration campaign, with reports that people seeking asylum or residency in Mexico are being detained despite having the correct documentation.
Recent tactics used by INM, including raiding homes, seizing migrants’ cell phones and documents, and targeting online delivery drivers, have been compared to those used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Human rights groups have criticized the immigration crackdown in recent weeks, with Lorena Cano, legal coordinator at the Immigration and Women’s Institute (IMUMI), calling the immigration raids “completely erratic.”
A group of NGOs, including Aid to Venezuelan Migrants, IMUMI and the Legal Clinic of the Iberoamerican University Alaíde Foppa, submitted a formal complaint to the National Human Rights Commission earlier this month accusing Polanco of targeting online delivery drivers at shopping centers in upscale areas.
They also criticized that despite Mexico City describing itself as a “sanctuary city” for migrants, many people already processing refugee status were taken to the migrant base in Itzapalapa and then sent to the southern cities of Villahermosa and Tapachula.
“This is not only a clear violation of human rights, but also a violation of the rule of law. We do not know what is happening to those detained because they cannot be contacted. They are not even given the right to a phone call in case of lawful arrest,” a spokesperson for Mexico City’s Casa Tochan, a migrant shelter, told Latin America Reports.
The Supreme Court also described the recent search and seizure as unconstitutional.
Despite reports and testimonies shared in national and international media outlets, INM has publicly rejected the notion that it is carrying out “attacks” and instead stated that its actions were in response to “a request for cooperation from the competent authorities in Mexico City with the intention of preventing criminal activity.”
Some speculate that the operation was part of a beautification effort ahead of the World Cup, which Mexico is co-hosting.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s Committee to Assist Refugees (COMAR) has been experiencing severe delays since the COVID-19 pandemic, with southern states such as Chiapas hardest hit. Since Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, 18 migrant caravans have departed from Tapachula, Chiapas. Members of the David Caravan, which set off in late April, cited extreme delays in asylum processing at COMAR as the main reason for their move.
Featured image caption: Government buildings in Mexico City
Featured Image Credit: ProtoplasmaKid via Wikimedia Commons
