Until now, refugees from Central America and Mexico had a clear direction: north, to the US. Now many of them are literally stranded between the sea and the jungle - the flow has stopped and some are turning back, writes ARD.
This is happening more or less voluntarily, notes political scientist Eunice Alma Rendon, who expects the emergence of new routes and new target countries for refugees. "Because of the threats, xenophobic language and hatred of Donald Trump, significantly fewer migrants are coming to the US border. "There are already empty refugee shelters," she said.
Mexico is stopping refugees
The Mexican government is also stopping the flow of refugees under an agreement with the United States to avoid higher US tariffs. "Mexico has become part of the wall," Rendon said.
That's why people are already considering other routes - for example, through Colombia to Spain. Human traffickers are also reorganizing and preparing to collect even more money. "There is a change in attitudes. It will take time, but it is already clear that the phenomenon of migration in the region is changing," the political scientist emphasizes.
Dangerous escape through the jungle
Venezuelans were the first to voluntarily leave the United States or return before reaching the border after Trump revoked their temporary protection status.
A quarter of Venezuela's population - over seven million people - fled their country because of the dictatorship. Many sought refuge in the United States after taking a very dangerous escape route - through the Darien jungle to Panama. Hundreds of people died along this route.
Esteban from Venezuela survived this ordeal, traveling 4,000 km to the US border. But then he decided to return to Colombia. "There will be a huge wave of people returning because they had no chance of reaching the United States," says Esteban. "I never imagined I would return like this," he tells ARD.
His compatriot Jordis Castillo is stuck on the border between Honduras and Nicaragua. For two years, he drove a truck in Houston, Texas, before deciding to voluntarily leave the United States. "I had to do it. If you walk on the street, you become easy prey for immigration authorities. I didn't have documents," he explains. "You live in constant fear that they could deport you. You could even go to jail for eight months."
Increasing physical violence
But Mexico is a country that has traditionally helped refugees - given that over 11 million Mexicans have immigrated to the US and almost everyone has relatives or friends across the border. The only brutalities are the criminal gangs that kidnap, rob, rape or even kill migrants.
But as more and more people refuse to reach the US, the picture is changing: hundreds of people are camping in squares and streets. "They have lost all hope and no idea what to do. They are very depressed", Eunice Rendon tells ARD.
This is leading to a change in attitudes towards migrants, who are subjected to racism and xenophobia. They are increasingly becoming victims of attacks: "If before the attacks were mainly verbal, now they are also turning into physical violence," the political scientist points out.
New hope in Mexico?
Cuban Tiobelli Cargo has managed to reach Mexico, where he feels good. "We left Cuba with the hope of a better future. We didn't find it in the United States." And Mexico is a free country where people can say what they feel, he assures.
"Things are going well here: we get documents, we can look for work. Our plans have changed," says Cargo. He would not return to Cuba under any circumstances. But "the American dream is dead," Cargo adds resignedly.
Author: Michael Castricius (ARD)