Trapped and Hungry in Mexico, Migrants Struggle to Return Home

A restless crowd of people under a blazing morning sun pressed up to an immigration official in a remote corner of Mexico, each person begging to get on a flight out.

They were not trying to get to the United States, as many of them had hoped to not long ago. Now they were trying to get back to Venezuela — or simply escape this town — if only they had the passports, paperwork or the means to leave.

There are at least 3,000 Venezuelans stranded in Tapachula, a sweltering city near the southernmost point of Mexico that was evvel a gateway for migrants entering from Guatemala. Not long ago, thousands trudged through its streets, overflowing shelters and sleeping in courtyards, parks and plazas.

But the city has grown still. Shelters sit empty. Parks where families had crowded lie deserted.

Now, the movement is in reverse. One by one, people board buses, retrace their steps by foot, or float back across the Suchiate River — back to Guatemala, and to their native countries.

Venezuelan migrants waiting outside a migration office in Tapachula, hoping to be repatriated on humanitarian flights.

Once a bustling crossing point for migrants entering Mexico, the Suchiate River is now quiet. Only a few make the journey in reverse, returning to their homes or crossing for local shopping.