As President Donald Trump returns to the White House, he has reiterated his commitment to a sweeping immigration crackdown aimed at reducing the number of migrants entering the United States, a key part of his broader agenda to strengthen national security.
Margelis Tinoco, a 48-year-old Colombian, was in tears after her asylum appointment was canceled due to the new policies. She had made the long and perilous journey from South America with her husband and son.
"I don't know what will become of my life anymore," Tinoco said, expressing the uncertainty that many migrants now face under the new administration’s tougher stance on immigration.
Trump began his second term with a series of orders targeting the U.S. immigration system. He vowed to declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, immediately halt "all illegal entry," and initiate the deportation of "millions and millions of criminal aliens."
Minutes after he was sworn in, an app created by his predecessor, Joe Biden, to streamline U.S. immigration processes went offline. Tinoco showed reporters the message on her phone informing her that existing asylum appointments had been canceled.
"Look what it says," Tinoco said, her voice breaking. "Have compassion and let us cross," she pleaded, recounting her “six months of suffering” after leaving Venezuela, where she had been living with her family.
Yaime Perez, a 27-year-old Cuban, also voiced her distress. “Since we are here, please let us in, please, after all the work we have put in to get here, let us enter your country, so that we can better ourselves in life and be somebody,” she said.
Antony Herrera, a 31-year-old Venezuelan, arrived with his wife and three children only to find their appointment canceled as well. “We don’t know what is going to happen,” Herrera said, noting that he and millions of others had fled crisis-stricken Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro was inaugurated for a third term earlier this month after a disputed election.
Caravan Heads for Border
During his first term, Trump exerted heavy pressure on Mexico to curb migration from Central America. On Monday, he reinstated the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which had been in place during his first administration. Under that rule, migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border must remain in Mexico until their cases are adjudicated.
It is unclear whether Mexico will continue to accept deported migrants from other countries, as it did under Trump’s first term, in exchange for the president’s withdrawal of tariff threats. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed on Monday that her country would accept its own deported nationals but did not address how it would handle other foreign nationals expelled from the U.S.
Sheinbaum also extended her congratulations to Trump, calling for “dialogue, respect, and cooperation” between the two countries.
In southern Mexico, hundreds of U.S.-bound migrants ignored Trump’s warnings and set off on foot from near the border with Guatemala. The caravans are a tactic used by migrants to pressure Mexican authorities into granting them transit permits.
"I’m a little scared because with everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve fought for, with all the sacrifices we’ve made, it’s very hard to have the doors closed on us and not be able to cross," said Jefferzon Celedon, a 24-year-old Venezuelan.
Despite the uncertainty, fellow Venezuelan Leonel Delgado, 42, expressed determination. "We have to keep going and not be swayed by what people say, whether they close it or not. We will see when we arrive," he said.