Human Rights Watch Report on Deportations from the Trump Administration

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (AP) — The Trump administration has deported nearly 13,000 individuals from Cuba, Venezuela, and other nationalities to Mexico, exposing them to cartel violence in an unfamiliar country, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on Wednesday.

Though Mexico has accepted such deportations for years, those deported under the current U.S. administration tend to be older and have spent more time living in the U.S. This makes finding work more difficult and increases the urgency for accessing medical care.

The report, based on over 50 interviews conducted in the southern Mexican cities of Tapachula and Villahermosa, coincides with President Donald Trump’s extensive campaign of immigration raids to implement his massive deportation plan. Immigrants previously not targeted, such as Cubans who have lived in the U.S. for years or decades, have been caught in these raids.

Some countries, like Cuba and Venezuela, limit deportation flights or do not accept deportees at all. As a result, they are sent to Mexico or other countries with which the U.S. has agreements.

“Imagine being 60 or 70 years old, suddenly uprooted, and sent to a country you do not know, where authorities abandon you without access to even the most basic services — shelter, medical care,” said Alcira Hava, a Leonard H. Sandler fellow at Human Rights Watch who worked on the report. “This is the reality for many Cubans deported to Mexico,” added Hava.

According to the report, Cubans make up the largest group sent to Mexico, with more than 4,300 deportees. Over half of the 41 interviewed Cubans had lived in the U.S. since the 1980s or 1990s, arriving during the Mariel exodus or through the lottery program in the 1990s. Most had permanent residency cards but lost them. More than half of the deported Cubans had criminal records, yet only 16% involved violent offenses, according to the researchers. A quarter had no criminal history.

Most were detained during routine checks by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but some were arrested at work or in public spaces. None were brought before a judge to challenge their deportation to Mexico, even if they expressed concerns for their safety.

The Cuban diaspora, which had access to expedited residency and citizenship through the Cuban Adjustment Act, has been shaken by the breadth of Trump’s immigration offensive.

Once in Mexico, these deportees are sent to southern cities with limited job opportunities, restricted access to medical care, and where cartels exploit them. They face a complicated logistical process to obtain refugee status in Mexico, if they even meet the criteria.

A shelter in Villahermosa has received deported Cubans as old as 83 in the last year, a notable difference from the young men and families it typically hosts, according to shelter worker Josué Leal.

“The U.S. discards them. Cuba discards them,” said Leal, describing it as a form of “double punishment.”

It is unclear how deportations to a third country are being conducted, as neither the U.S. nor Mexico has disclosed the agreement publicly. Human Rights Watch urged both countries to release the agreement and ensure due process in these cases, respecting international law.

They also called on Mexico to guarantee access to medical treatment and provide a pathway to regularize the immigration status of those unable to return to their home countries. Additionally, the organization urged the U.S. to suspend these deportations unless such guarantees are in place.