Haitian migrants in Mexico hope to stay legally

Mexico has accepted just 150 cases of some 2,400 asylum requests from Haitians since the beginning of 2022. Official records indicate that in 2021, Haitian migrants accounted for 131,000 of asylum requests in Mexico.

The vast majority were rejected. Many Haitians now residing in Mexico belong to a migration wave that left Brazil and Chile in 2021, when work opportunities all but stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Successful asylum cases involve individuals who were forced to flee their home countries due to life-threatening circumstances.

However, if the Mexican government changed their status to that of "Refugee" it would effectively grant Haitian migrants legal protection and permission to work legally.