In late August, makeshift camps began popping up along Mexico’s side of the U.S.-Mexico border, from Matamoros all the way to Tijuana. The inhabitants, who now number in the thousands, are mostly Mexican people fleeing violence and oppression who plan on requesting asylum. But they have to wait, as Customs and Border Protection officials—and sometimes U.S. soldiers—stand in front of ports of entry preventing asylum seekers from stepping onto U.S. soil, where they’re entitled to demand credible fear interviews.
These officials, who claim their facilities are at capacity, typically only let a very limited number of Mexican asylum seekers pass each day. Worried that staying in shelters will lose them their place in line and undercut their cases, those seeking asylum stick around the border. They even keep unofficial waitlists that dictate who gets to attempt to cross each day.
Some of the most visible camps are in Ciudad Juárez, all centered around the city’s three international bridges shared with El Paso, Texas. As of October, Mexican authorities said there were 1,000 people between the three camps, though aid workers estimated the true number to be between 1,700 and 3,000.
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The Paso del Norte camp in Juárez. Although the Mexican government and nonprofit organizations provide food and tents, asylum seekers are responsible for figuring out how to bathe, do laundry, and use the bathroom—there are no free public restrooms.
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A family finds a moment of joy outside their tent in downtown Juárez. Early on, the mood at the camps was palpably upbeat. People believed they would find passage after seeing rumors on social media that the United States had opened its doors to Mexican nationals.
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Community leaders elected by residents in the Paso del Norte camp hold a meeting regarding the waiting list they’ve compiled. At some other camps, Mexican officials maintain the lists.
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A group of unaccompanied minors waits at a bridge checkpoint. Since 2018, Customs and Border Protection has stationed officers at the middle of bridges to check the flow of asylum seekers.
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A month after the camps appeared, waiting lists—and asylum seekers’ frustrations—continue to grow. Sometimes multiple days pass without any asylum seekers being allowed across the bridges.
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A banner-wielding activist leads a Catholic coalition across the Paso del Norte bridge to pray with asylum seekers. Despite their visibility, these camps have received surprisingly little attention from humanitarian organizations and the media.