Trump policies alter migration patterns as 1,200 Cuban migrants avoid US

A caravan of 1,200 people, made up largely of Cuban migrants, has been heading north from Tapachula, a city in southern Mexico, in search of better economic opportunities for weeks. But the destination is not the American border, it is Mexico.

The caravan’s destination signals a sea change in regional trends as President Donald Trump’s tough immigration policies take hold.

The caravan, which left earlier this month, is expected to take weeks to reach its destination, where migrants hope to find better-paid jobs in the Mexican capital, rather than in the poor south.

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Migrants head toward Mexico City in the suburb of Tapachula, Mexico, October 1, 2025. (Reuters/Damian Sanchez)

Tapachula, located in Mexico’s poorest state of Chiapas, has struggled for years to deal with the migrant crisis because it is near the border with Guatemala, which has long seen large exoduses of migrants fleeing gang violence and poverty from the Northern Triangle.

According to the Washington Office on Latin America, the migrant group is using social media to petition to the Mexican government to assist with asylum cases and appropriate documentation for individuals seeking official residency in Mexico City.

El Pais reported last week that corruption and extortion remain a major concern for migrants seeking resettlement assistance. The report indicates that this issue remains one of the main obstacles facing the Mexican Refugee Assistance Commission.

Despite concerns about financial abuses linked to attempts to relocate to Mexico, the Spain-based outlet reported that many migrants still consider it better to stay there rather than go to the United States under Trump.

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Migrants on the outskirts of Tapachula, Mexico, October 1, 2025. (Reuters/Damian Sanchez)

“Why would I want to go to the United States? They hate us there,” a Cuban woman traveling with her 2-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son told the media.

While immigration to the United States under Trump, particularly during his second term, has declined significantly, the decision by Cuban migrants not to continue their lives in the United States, where there are already large communities with deep ties to the United States in places like Florida and New York, is significant.

But it’s too early to tell whether this trend will be sustainable, Elaine Dezenski, senior director and director of the Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

“According to the International Organization for Migration, about 50% of migrants surveyed across Mexico in mid-2025 said they were considering Mexico as their destination – up from less than 25% by the end of 2024,” she said. “This suggests that increased U.S. border controls and expulsions are influencing migrants’ choices, with more seeking asylum and work authorization in Mexico instead of continuing to the United States.”

Honduran migrants participating in a caravan en route to the United States rest in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico, October 21, 2018. (Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images)

In the months since Trump returned to the top job, clashes at the southern border have been reported by Customs and Border Protection. considerably fallen compared to rates observed in past years.

Earlier this year, the Migration Policy Institute noted that monthly encounters at the southern border were comparable to unprecedented rates. since the 1960s.

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Dezenski warned that while controlling illegal immigration to the United States will be defended by some as a positive adjustment in border security, “serious conversations” need to be had about the role immigration plays in maintaining a healthy economy.

“Both Mexico and the United States are experiencing labor shortages in key sectors. While uncontrolled and undocumented immigration is not a solution, the lack of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States risks leaving many jobs unfilled – particularly in sectors that rely heavily on migrant labor, such as agriculture,” she said. “Today, immigration reform is often equated with border security.

“However, we also need a serious conversation about the essential skills and workforce our economies need and the role immigration plays in maintaining long-term economic health,” Dezenski said.