They seek better opportunities and security in another country. MSF is a witness to their stories and to the impact that violence and a lack of basic services has on their health and their lives.
Globally, by the end of 2019 an estimated 79.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Twenty-six million people are currently refugees; more than half are under 18 years old. Administrative, economic and legal barriers to receiving medical treatment, along with widespread misinformation about migration and asylum processes, and a lack of basic services make their situation even more vulnerable.
More than 60 per cent of the patients that MSF cares for on the migrant route through Mexico were exposed to a situation of violence either in their country of origin or during their journey. Currently, this group urgently needs medical and mental health care.
The following portraits reflect migration in its diversity and the exhausting wait that migrants must go through to live in a safer place. Most seek asylum in the United States, but with the closure of its borders, its immigration policies and the COVID-19 pandemic, they must continue to survive in Mexico amid uncertainty, resource scarcity and personal risk.
Mathysse
My name is Mathysse and I am an asylum seeker. I had to leave Haiti with my family after receiving threats against my family. I was already pregnant when we travelled from Chile to Mexico in search of safety. Now I am waiting in Reynosa for my asylum application to enter the United States. When I arrived at this border city, I couldn’t find prenatal care services because of a lack of resources and because the hospitals have been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the support of MSF, who coordinated with the general hospital, I was able to access medical services.
Marcela*
I am Marcela* and I come from El Salvador. I live with some friends in the makeshift camp in Matamoros, on the border between Mexico and the United States. I had to leave my country because I am transsexual. People threatened to kill me. The only chance I have for a safe life is to get to the United States. I will wait all the time that is needed.
Piedad*
I am Piedad.* I fled Honduras with my children after a member of my family was murdered. I tried to request asylum in the United States, but instead I was detained and sent to Mexico to wait for my application process, putting my life and my family’s at risk. I am waiting for an answer in Reynosa, Mexico.
Elizabeth
I am Elizabeth and I come from Guerrero in southern Mexico. My son and I were deported from the United States a few days after I gave birth to him. Now, in Matamoros, I am waiting again for a resolution to my asylum application so we can return to the country where my son, Carlos, was born. Meanwhile, we receive medical care from MSF in the camp near the border.
Luis*
I'm Luis*; my family and I left Honduras because my parents said it was no longer safe for us. Now we wait in Matamoros to be able to go to the United States, where my parents have told me that life is better.
Mario*
My name is Mario* and I'm 72 years old. I am originally from the state of Zacatecas, in Mexico, although I feel like I am an illegal resident here in my own country since I was deported. I spent 43 years in the United States; my life was there. I no longer have a family here and I don't have a family there. I will stay in Matamoros, where I have a job and it is a place where I feel good.
Nuria*
My name is Nuria* and I am an asylum seeker. I fled Honduras with my children because we were threatened with death by gangs. I am very afraid to return to my country. The situation here, in Tamaulipas state, is not very sure either. Now, we are waiting to receive our first appointment to apply for asylum in the United States and so to be reunited with the rest of our family there again.
Denise
I'm Denise; my parents and I left our home in Congo and we travelled for a long time. They told me that we would go to another place, where we would live with less fear. Now we hope to get there, but for now we are in a shelter in Reynosa, where I can play with many other children who are also waiting to leave. We hardly ever leave here because they say it's very dangerous outside.
Lurvy
My name is Lurvy. I had to flee from Tegucigalpa, in Honduras, because of the gang violence that we lived with there. I wanted to get to Monterrey [in Mexico], where I have family. I travelled first and then my husband and children would come. When I arrived in Chiapas, I requested asylum, but the process was not progressing and I was afraid, so I decided to get on ‘the Beast’ [a train]; I had no other option. We arrived at Coatzacoalcos after three days and nights. There we needed to change trains.
When the time came for that change, the police showed up and we had to run to a place where getting on the train was more difficult. I fell and the train hit me. I spent several months in Coatzacoalcos in a shelter recovering. There I received psychological help from MSF.
Now I am in Monterrey with my family. A few months later, my husband died in a car accident. I don't have prosthetic legs yet and I need help getting them.
*Names have been changed
