The cost of keeping a migrant on Mexico’s southern border triples

The inflation and the migratory flow caused the cost of maintaining a migrant Stranded on the southern border of Mexico will triple, according to a calculation by the National Chamber of Commerce (Canaco) in Tapachula, where citizen groups say they will assume this expense due to the inaction of the Government.

The cost of supporting a migrant now amounts to 1,200 pesos per day (about US$ 66.6), a 200% more than the 400 pesos (US$ 22.2) of 2016, before the start of the migrant caravans, said this Wednesday Jorge Zúñiga Rodríguez, president of Canaco in Tapachula, on the border of Mexico with Central America.

“It is basically the cost of lodging, even if it is in a migration base, it has a cost that is absorbed: food, health, transportation and this type of things, and in the case of municipalities, the issue of services has a cost.”said Zuniga Rodriguez.

Between inflation and migration

The fact reflects two phenomena: on the one hand, that inflation rose in June 4.98%which meant that it had four consecutive months of growth and closed the first half of 2024 at its highest level of the year, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) reported on Tuesday.

And, on the other hand, irregular migration intercepted by Mexico rose by almost 650% year-on-year to a record of almost 1.4 million from January to May, the National Migration Institute (INM) reported in June.

The situation has an impact on civil organizations in Tapachula, where they claim that they are caring for migrants despite the government’s omission, such as the Todo Por Ellos shelter, one of the largest on the border.

Lorenza Reyes, director of the shelter, said that 1,000 pesos (55.5 dollars) are spent daily on just one meal for the migrants.

“This shelter lives off the help of good-hearted Mexican people, who come here and say: look, we brought this for the shelter. Here they even give them clothes, shoes, I have a friend who helps me with the rent of the shelter,” he explained.

The activist confessed that the number of migrants there is now overwhelming for citizen groups on the southern border. “There are too many people, sometimes it stresses me out, but God closes one door and opens another, faith is the last thing to be lost with all this crowd of people”he added.

Migrants live on charity

Migrants who depend on charity live in this shelter, like Venezuelan Andreina Santana, who fled her country due to discrimination from her family and the gangs that threatened her for being a member of the LGBT community, so she has arrived in Tapachula hoping for a new life.

“I suffered discrimination on the street, people point at me, they look at me as if I were doing something wrong,” He also said that Honduran Edwin, who reported that his daily expenses are transportation and the use of bathrooms because the food is provided by the shelter.

“At least, (I spend) about 200 to 250 pesos (US$ 11.1 to US$ 13.88) on food and travel. There are people who do not have access to a bathroom, because of transportation there is a lot of inflation here. Thank God we have that support with the lady who gives us a hand and gives us free meals,” he described.