What is driving the mass migration of Hondurans to Mexico?
More than 247,000 Hondurans have requested asylum in Mexico in 2024, due to violence and need. It is an alarming figure that places the country at the center of a regional migration crisis.
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The new report from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) details a worrying picture: more than 247,000 Hondurans requested asylum in Mexico between January and July 2024, due to violence and need.
Honduras leads the number of asylum applications in this country, amid a social and economic crisis that drives thousands to cross borders in search of safety and opportunities.
The Honduran migration drama, however, does not end with the numbers. Those who do not manage to cross the borders are, in many cases, returned to the country.
Between January and August , 290,902 returnees were registered , who face a challenging reality upon returning to their homeland.
Increase in asylum applications in Honduras
Unlike other years, Honduras began to receive an increasing number of asylum applications.
As of August 2024, 21,529 people, mainly from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombia, Cuba and El Salvador, have sought refuge in the country.
The profile of applicants reveals that 64% of requests come from men, while 36% are from women.
UNHCR, in collaboration with its partners, scaled up its efforts to support these populations, providing cash assistance, vouchers, shelter services and legal aid.
Their intervention is crucial in a context where national capacities to meet this demand are limited.
Return and protection challenges
For those Hondurans who are unable to establish themselves in another country and must return, the outlook is bleak.
In August, 3,989 Hondurans were registered as returning to the Migrant Returnee Care Centers in the country, a figure that represents a decrease of 49% compared to the same period in 2023.
However, this decline does not reflect an improvement in conditions, but rather a tightening of migration policies in the region.
UNHCR identified 26 cases of returnees with specific protection needs, as well as 35 cases of internally displaced persons, who received legal assistance and referral for humanitarian support.
The situation shows that more and more Hondurans are returning with trauma and urgent needs.
UNHCR’s aid in numbers
As of August, UNHCR and its partners have reached 107,686 people , supporting internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, refugees and host community members.
In addition, 194 people in vulnerable situations received specific assistance, in an attempt to alleviate hardship amid a deep humanitarian crisis.
Violence, human rights violations and environmental disasters are spiralling into the lives of thousands of Hondurans, forcing them to abandon their homes.
Meanwhile, other countries’ policies are tightening borders, trapping those seeking a better life. UNHCR’s work is only a palliative in a situation that requires long-term solutions and greater regional cooperation.
As long as the causes that push thousands to migrate, such as violence and need, continue, the crisis will continue to grow, putting to the test not only Honduras, but all of Central America .
