Mexican Migrant Shelters Remain Empty Amid Mass Deportation Warnings

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Key Takeaways

• Mexican migrant shelters along the U.S. border remain largely unused, with only about 2,000 migrants utilizing them since Trump’s presidency began.
• Of 13,455 deportations to Mexico, 2,970 involve non-Mexican nationals, with many deportees avoiding shelters for safety or returning home.
• U.S. and Mexican shelters face reduced activity due to logistical challenges, changes in asylum policies, and decreased federal funding.

Mexican migrant shelters along the U.S. border, established to receive individuals being deported in large numbers, are surprisingly empty, despite the early promises by President Trump for widespread deportations. These shelters were expected to receive many deportees as part of the Trump administration’s strong stance on immigration. However, months into this administration, these facilities have barely been utilized, revealing a significant gap between policy ambitions and actual outcomes.

As early as President Trump’s inauguration, his administration pledged to implement mass deportations on “Day 1.” The Mexican government, in response, set up numerous mega shelters across border cities like Reynosa 🇲🇽, Tijuana 🇲🇽, and Nogales 🇲🇽. These shelters were built to address what was expected to be a wave of deported migrants. Yet today, many of those shelters remain mostly empty. Only around 2,000 Mexican migrants have used these facilities since Trump took office, according to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Comparing that figure with the larger deportation number of 13,455 migrants so far, it points to low usage and possibly unmet expectations for how these shelters were to operate.

Mexican Migrant Shelters Remain Empty Amid Mass Deportation Warnings

Interestingly, the deportation numbers trace another nuanced fact. While 13,455 deportations to Mexico have taken place, roughly 2,970 include individuals from non-Mexican countries, such as Cuba 🇨🇺 and Venezuela 🇻🇪. Notably, even with a significant number assigned to deportees, many deportees seem to avoid Mexican shelters, with reports indicating they prefer returning directly to their states or seeking safety within smaller communities.

Shelters Across Key Border Cities

The facilities along the border provide a clearer picture of the current dynamics in the region. Mexican shelters built for hundreds or thousands are functioning far below their capacity today:

Nogales: Located across Arizona’s Nogales border, the shelters remain virtually empty, and only a few migrants reside there. Alma Cota de Yañez, who works with Fundación Empresarial Sonorense (FESAC), noted no signs of chaos in the Nogales community.
Tijuana: While Tijuana boasts a temporary shelter named Juventud 2000, equipped with amenities for short-term stays, most of the shelter’s occupants are not recently deported individuals, but rather migrants running out of options to obtain asylum in the U.S. or legally cross to American soil.
Reynosa: Home to one major shelter, Senda de Vida 2, with room for 2,000 individuals, its occupancy today is only about 100 people. A second, Casa del Migrante Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, houses around 160 people. Security remains a concern for many migrants awaiting placement or decisions in Reynosa.

As reported by VisaVerge.com, smaller, private-run shelters like these are currently sustaining the most operations, often working below their full capacity.

U.S. Migrant Shelters Face Similar Challenges

South of the border is not the only region reporting this downturn. Smaller Texas shelters that once played a vital role in housing asylum seekers are now facing similar trends. Numbers in February 2025 paint a dramatic drop in activity:

McAllen, Texas: Once bustling facilities that saw about a thousand asylum seekers daily now report less than 12 arrivals per day. Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, tasked with managing these shelters, has also scaled back services due to low demand. The organization no longer gets any federal reimbursements — a decision tied to changes under the Trump administration.
El Paso, Texas: Annunciation House, one of the major shelter networks operating out of El Paso, now houses just 40 individuals across its facilities and has had to close many locations entirely. Ruben Garcia, director of the organization, has revealed that more closures are on the horizon due to consistently low arrivals. A neighboring shelter, Casa del Sagrado Corazon, shut its services as far back as September 2024 due to dwindling needs.
San Antonio, Texas: Like El Paso, the Migrant Resource Center in this region stopped accepting new arrivals in early February due to plummeting numbers. This shelter, once seen as a cornerstone for migrant support in Texas, mirrors the broader downturn.

What Is Behind Empty Shelters?

The reasons for low usage of these shelters are not uniform. Experts like Ariel G. Ruiz Soto from the Migration Policy Institute have observed fluctuating deportation patterns. Ruiz Soto noted that there was an initial spike in deportation activity during President Trump’s first 10 days in office. However, this has now plateaued and, in some cases, decreased. This decline has been attributed to logistical challenges faced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Limited detention space, particularly in interior areas within the United States, has created bottlenecks for carrying out further deportations.

There have also been significant policy influences. Migrant shelters in Mexico’s northern regions were already starting to see lower activity before President Trump even assumed office. Under the Biden administration, changes to asylum policies had also lowered the number of migrants arriving at the U.S. border. For instance, restrictions on asylum applications — particularly for migrants crossing between ports of entry — partly contributed to the downsizing of shelter activity earlier.

The weathering of U.S.-government financial reimbursement programs like the Shelter and Services Program has further compounded hurdles for traditionally active shelters. Once providing critical financial support, particularly under rules first introduced during President Trump’s tenure, these federal funds are no longer funneling much-needed cash to keep operations active in places like McAllen or El Paso.

Implications for the Future

The emptying of these shelters reveals complex layers at play in the broader migration landscape. On one front, it speaks of the Trump administration’s ambitious yet unrealized promises of large-scale deportations. Despite Border Czar Tom Homan’s dissatisfaction with the current deportation numbers, meeting initial ambitions proves challenging without systemic support structures, expanded detention resources, or focused efforts targeting criminal migrants. “I’m not happy with the numbers, because we’ve got a lot of criminals to find,” said Homan, emphasizing just how far goals are from being fulfilled.

For their part, the Mexican government’s shelters, while initially created to assist newly deported individuals, now reflect an over-prepared infrastructure matched by an unforeseen reality. Migrants returning either do not utilize these facilities or find alternate paths upon deportation.

Conclusion

Reduced shelter activity and falling migrant numbers mark an evolving situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. While the Trump administration set a clear tone of strict immigration enforcement, the current state signals both logistical and structural barriers preventing it from reaching record deportation levels. Migrant shelters, both in Mexico 🇲🇽 and the U.S., have felt the ripple effects, drastically cutting down their operations and even closing doors.

It is important to understand, however, that the fluidity of immigration trends means today’s reality could again shift tomorrow. Border cities are at the frontline of these changes, reflecting the unpredictable outcomes tied to immigration policies. For shelter operators, sustaining resource availability for future increase in demand will remain a delicate balancing act. More updates are likely in the months ahead — not just in deportation numbers, but in how national policies continue to shape the fate of these establishments and the communities they intend to serve.

For further information on government immigration policies and shelter resources, you can visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services page.

Learn Today

Deportation → The formal removal of individuals from one country to their home country, often for legal or immigration violations.
Asylum → Protection granted to foreign nationals escaping persecution or danger in their home countries, allowing them legal stay.
Detention Space → Facilities designated for holding individuals undergoing immigration processing or awaiting deportation.
Shelter Utilization → The extent to which provided housing facilities are occupied or used by the intended migrant population.
Reimbursement Programs → Government-funded initiatives providing financial support to organizations managing migrant shelters or related services.

This Article in a Nutshell

Despite initial fears of mass deportations under Trump, Mexican migrant shelters near the U.S. border remain largely empty. With only 2,000 Mexicans utilizing them compared to 13,455 deportees, many migrants bypass shelters entirely. This highlights the disparity between policy rhetoric and reality, leaving costly shelters underused and raising questions about migration trends.
— By VisaVerge.com