Asylum Access Mexico (AAMX) called on President Claudia Sheinbaum to prioritize the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in her administration, which started on October 1, 2024. In an open letter signed by Executive Director Lucía Chávez Vargas, AAMX expressed concerns about the systemic challenges faced by forcibly displaced individuals in Mexico, a country now among the top five in receiving asylum applications globally, with over 140,000 requests in 2023.
The letter highlights persistent issues such as barriers to obtaining immigration documents, discrimination, and the threat of detention and deportation, which undermine the fundamental rights of this population.
AAMX urged the administration to prioritize access to the Humanitarian Visitor Card, reforms to migration regularization processes that perpetuate precarious conditions for people seeking asylum, and the elimination of discriminatory practices in family reunification processes. They also called for human-rights-centered reforms within the National Institute of Migration and the Mexican Foreign Ministry. AAMX urged President Sheinbaum to take immediate action, offered their technical expertise, and requested a high-level meeting to collaborate on advancing humanitarian migration policies.
Lisa D’Annunzio, Asylum Access’ Interim Co-CEO, on behalf of AAHQ, endorsed AAMX’s demands. “Mexico has the opportunity to be a regional leader in the protection of refugees’ rights. We fully support AAMX’s recommendations and urge President Sheinbaum’s administration to develop and implement a migration policy grounded in human rights,” she said.
Below is the full text of the open letter (in English and Spanish):
Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo
President of the United Mexican States
PRESENT
Dear President Sheinbaum,
I warmly greet you and sincerely congratulate you on your first 50 days of administration. My name is Lucía Chávez Vargas, Executive Director of Asylum Access Mexico, an organization that is part of Asylum Access Global, dedicated to promoting the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in Mexico. Through legal strategies and public policy advocacy, we aim to ensure access to a dignified and just life for people who have been forced to flee their homes.
At Asylum Access Mexico, we have been closely following your commitment to priority issues for the country, and we trust in your sensitivity to the challenges faced by the people seeking asylum and refugee population in our territory.
Mexico has positioned itself among the top five countries receiving asylum applications, with over 140,000 applications in 2023 alone. However, the reality faced by this population is alarming: the rights of people seeking asylum and refugees continue to be severely violated due to practices such as difficulties in obtaining immigration documents, the bureaucratization of procedures, discrimination, the constant threat of detention in torturous environments, and deportation to countries of origin where they face danger.
We are particularly concerned about the obstacles to accessing documents like the Humanitarian Visitor Card, which prevents refugees from accessing basic rights such as healthcare, education, and employment. We also observe that there is an urgent need for a reform that allows for migration regularization without barriers or conditions that perpetuate precariousness and hinder the integration of this population.
Another priority aspect is family reunification, a right enshrined in national legislation and international treaties that Mexico has signed. However, it is currently conditioned, among other things, on proving economic solvency, a measure that is discriminatory and violates human rights. This requirement prevents many refugees from living with their families in stable and dignified conditions.
Finally, we have observed that the National Institute of Migration, in its role of ensuring the right to international protection, urgently requires an approach that respects human rights to prevent torture, arbitrary detention, and extortion. Similarly, the Mexican Foreign Ministry needs to take urgent action on the immigration procedures that concern refugees.
We trust in your leadership to transform these realities and promote a human rights agenda that includes humanitarian and effective migration policies. On behalf of Asylum Access Mexico, I would like to extend our willingness to collaborate with your government and contribute our technical knowledge and experience in favor of dignified and safe migration to Mexico, particularly for those in need of protection. In this regard, we kindly request a high-level meeting with you or a representative who can closely follow the issue and make decisions for the benefit of people seeking asylum and refugees in the country.
Please accept our warm regards and sincere consideration. We look forward to your kind response.
Executive Director, Asylum Access Mexico
Spanish Version:
Dra. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo
Presidenta de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
PRESENTE
Estimada Presidenta Sheinbaum:
Reciba un cordial saludo y mis más sinceras felicitaciones por sus primeros 50 días de gestión. Mi nombre es Lucía Chávez Vargas, Directora Ejecutiva de Asylum Access México, una organización que forma parte de Asylum Access Global, dedicada a promover los derechos de personas refugiadas y solicitantes de asilo en México. A través de estrategias legales e incidencia en políticas públicas, buscamos garantizar el acceso a una vida digna y justa para las personas que han sido forzadas a desplazarse.
En Asylum Access México, hemos seguido de cerca su compromiso con temas prioritarios para el país y confiamos en su sensibilidad hacia los desafíos que enfrenta la población solicitante de asilo y refugiada en nuestro territorio.
México se ha posicionado entre los cinco principales países receptores de solicitudes de asilo, sólo en 2023 superamos las 140,000 solicitudes. No obstante, la realidad que enfrenta esta población es alarmante: los derechos de personas solicitantes y refugiadas aún se ven gravemente vulnerados debido a prácticas como la dificultad de obtención de documentos migratorios, burocratización de los procedimientos, la discriminación, el peligro constante de detención en entornos torturantes y la devolución a sus países de origen en donde corren peligro.
Nos conciernen especialmente los obstáculos para acceder a documentos como la Tarjeta de Visitante por Razones Humanitarias (TVRH), que impide a las personas refugiadas acceder a derechos básicos como la salud, educación y empleo. Igualmente, observamos que es urgente una reforma que permita la regularización migratoria sin trabas ni condiciones que perpetúan la precariedad y obstaculizan la integración de este grupo de población.
Otro aspecto que consideramos prioritario es la reunificación familiar, derecho consagrado en la legislación nacional y los tratados internacionales que México ha suscrito, pero que actualmente está condicionado, entre otros, a pruebas de solvencia económica, una medida que resulta discriminatoria y violatoria de derechos humanos. Este requisito impide a muchas personas refugiadas vivir con sus familias en condiciones de estabilidad y dignidad.
Por último, hemos observado que el Instituto Nacional de Migración, en su función de garantizar el derecho a la protección internacional, requiere urgentemente un enfoque de respeto a los derechos humanos, para evitar torturas, detenciones arbitrarias y extorsiones. Igualmente, la cancillería mexicana requiere tener un sentido de urgencia sobre los trámites migratorios que le conciernen y que se relacionan con la población refugiada.
Confiamos en su liderazgo para transformar estas realidades e impulsar una agenda de derechos humanos que incluya políticas migratorias humanitarias y efectivas. A nombre de Asylum Access México, quiero extender nuestra disposición para colaborar con su gobierno y contribuir con nuestro conocimiento técnico y experiencia en favor de una migración digna y segura hacia México, particularmente de aquellas personas que necesitan protección. En tal sentido, le solicitamos que nos pueda conceder una reunión de alto nivel con usted o un representante que pueda acompañar de cerca la problemática y pueda tomar decisiones para beneficio de la población solicitante de asilo y refugiada en el país.
Reciba un cordial saludo y nuestras muestras de consideración. Quedamos atentas a su amable respuesta.
Lucía Guadalupe Chávez Vargas
Directora Ejecutiva, Asylum Access México