500 Migrants March in Southern Mexico Demanding Work Authorization Papers

Approximately 500 migrants walked through southern Mexico this week, demanding faster processing of immigration documents and permission to seek employment in other regions. The demonstration highlights ongoing challenges faced by asylum seekers stuck in border towns while awaiting legal status.

TAPACHULA, Mexico — Roughly 500 migrants walked through southern Mexico on Wednesday, demanding faster processing of immigration documents and requesting permission to relocate to regions with better job opportunities.

The demonstration began Tuesday evening when the group departed from Tapachula, a city located close to the Guatemala border, aiming to draw attention to their circumstances and secure authorization to seek employment in other areas while their legal status remains under review.

The border city of Tapachula has historically functioned as a gathering point for migrant populations. Recent months have brought an increase in third-country nationals, especially Cubans who were deported during the Trump administration, though Mexican officials have not yet published official statistics on these new arrivals.

Although walking demonstrations occur regularly in this area, they no longer aim to reach the United States. Throughout the previous year, similar groups consisting of several hundred migrants have generally broken up within a few days without venturing beyond Mexico’s southern region.

“Without papers, there are no opportunities. We migrants feel like prisoners in Tapachula,” said Joandri Velázquez Zaragoza, a 40-year-old Cuban national who supports a wife and two children back home, where a worsening crisis is marked by widespread power outages and food shortages.

The evangelical pastor, who also works as a mason, reached Tapachula in August 2024. He initially pursued an asylum appointment in the United States through the CBP One mobile application but was denied. After the program ended with the Trump administration’s return to office, he applied for asylum in Mexico, but both his initial request and his appeal were turned down.

The demonstration proceeded under surveillance from the National Guard, the National Migration Institute, and local law enforcement, with no attempts made to halt their progress. Coinciding with the march’s start, Mexican officials announced a fresh agreement designed to enhance job opportunities for people traveling through southern states including Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco and Quintana Roo.

The Southern Border Monitoring Collective, an alliance of civil society organizations, issued a warning this week that travelers are being charged as much as 40,000 Mexican pesos (approximately $2,300) for documentation that should be provided at no cost. The group also criticized the growing militarization of Mexico’s southern border and the Northern Triangle, arguing that enhanced security protocols have escalated dangers and mistreatment of migrants.

Earlier this week on Monday, Mexican officials found 229 migrants confined inside a truck in Veracruz. The vehicle had been impounded at a police lot after being reported stolen, but authorities only discovered the people inside when the migrants started calling for assistance.