Migrants in search of safer and better lives in the United States are vigilant about gathering information that can provide insights into the dangers they may encounter along their journey. This information holds immense value to them, encompassing details concerning criminal organizations and shifts in U.S. immigration policies. Armed with such knowledge, migrants adopt various strategies to minimize or prepare for potential hardships, leading them to choose different routes toward the U.S. border.
The intricate dynamics of migrants passing through Mexico deserve closer scrutiny. Each year, hundreds of thousands of individuals from various corners of the globe traverse Mexico en route to the U.S.-Mexico border. In April 2023 alone, over 211,000 migrants were detained by the U.S. along this border. This figure aligns with the broader trend of rising global migration and the escalating number of migrants attempting to reach the United States.
While the majority of migrants crossing the U.S. border come from Latin American nations, excluding Mexico, including countries such as Central America, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Cuba, it is important to note that migrants comprise a diverse demographic. Although the majority are single adults, families and children also form a significant proportion of those undertaking this arduous journey. Political instability, limited employment opportunities, and rampant violence in their home countries drive people to migrate through Mexico.
Aware of danger
In research from Cornell, the author interviewed migrants navigating Mexico, and it became evident that they actively disseminate news of tragic incidents, such as the discovery of deceased migrants trapped in a tractor trailer in San Antonio in June 2022. Videos and photos depicting such heart-wrenching occurrences, like the Ciudad Juárez fire, circulate widely and provide migrants with vivid and tangible representations of the potential consequences they might face if they choose the same path.
For these migrants, such images and news stories are not merely hearsay; they are perceived as immutable truths. However, their sources of information differ significantly from mainstream channels like New York Times alerts or nightly news. Instead, migrants rely on an informal underground network for sharing information.
This network thrives on social media platforms, chat groups, and word of mouth, facilitating the rapid dissemination, discussion, interpretation, and commentary of news among migrants headed toward the U.S. via Mexico.
Within 24 hours of the Ciudad Juárez fire, every social media outlet and migrant chat group monitored as part of the research, which consists of thousands of migrants in transit across Mexico and Guatemala in real-time, had posted and shared the video and news of the tragic event.
Digital communities
These digital platforms become spaces for migrants to express condolences and prayers for the deceased and their loved ones. Some individuals seek detailed information about the deceased, such as their names or places of origin, desperately hoping to ascertain whether their own family members or friends were among the victims. Others inquire about alternative routes to the border or share strategies to avoid ending up in Mexican migrant detention centers, collectively striving to avert a similar fate.
Despite the profound grief that reverberates among migrants following tragic events like the fire in March 2023, it is essential to note that these incidents do not deter their determination to reach the United States.
Instead, they serve as catalysts for reevaluating and readjusting their expectations for the journey ahead. Migrants recount instances of substandard food, infestations of fleas, and inadequate clothing or blankets to combat the cold weather. Such deplorable circumstances often trigger hunger strikes and protests among detainees.
Furthermore, the research has uncovered that violent and tragic events tend to heighten migrants’ wariness of any interaction with law enforcement or other officials, even when disguised as assistance or support.
