By: Melissa Frasco

There is a unique migrant led protest taking place on at the southern Mexican border. In the area of Tapachula migrants have sewn their mouths shut in protest due to the long wait times they are experiencing for their asylum applications. As an article by Vox reported from 2020 to 2021 the amount of asylum applications tripled leading to extended uncertainty for migrants confined to the camps in Tapachula. Although we usually see these issues overflowing at the U.S.– Mexico Border this most recent protest is at Mexico’s southern border shared with Guatemala. These asylum seekers are here because they submitted their applications to continue their journeys further into Mexico and on from there. One of the reasons they have not been able to move forward is that according to Mexican authorities it is illegal for them to proceed further without “legal immigration status” to do so.

The protest originated as a hunger strike. Most recently it turned into migrants sewing their mouths with plastic thread and needles. Despite the graphic nature of the protest there have been many like it before in different parts of the world (such as Nauru Island and in Greece). But what is the point of taking such drastic measures? The point is that people will listen, news outlets will report, and people will start to understand the direness of their situation. Even this blog has changed course temporarily to focus on the current situation rather than my experiences working with the local immigrant community.

Forming as a stem for the protest migrants describe their living situations as inhumane; being without proper access to food and shelter. It is obvious that the conditions here are ripe for resistance, so why haven’t people been listening? Most notably Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM) responded to the protest dismissing their acts, referring to them as “senseless”, and later claimed that the migrants’ needs were already being met. This reaction is another example of policy not reflecting true experiences or circumstances. Not to mention the fact it is implausible for any policy to predict the future, let alone those of migrants. I am not saying that I have a better solution or much experience in policy making, I am suggesting instead that the current situation is not working. Therefore, leading to the continuously graphic protests.

Lastly, I would also like to point out that the migrants at the border are not just from Central America. The Washington Post reported that aside from Central Americans there are migrants from as far as Venezuela, Haiti, Africa, and Asia. It is not only the situations we see at the U.S.-Mexico Border that are dire. We are seeing increasingly disturbing conditions at borders throughout the Americas and Europe (where many flee to for asylum purposes).

This blog is just a glance at the migrant experiences. There is a lot to unpack in discussing migrant resistance and protest. These acts remind us that migrants have agency, they have a voice, and that they will use their voice. Part of why I believe the mistreatment of migrants continues is that they are easy to exploit (whether they are asylum seekers or not). I do understand I have used the term “migrant” throughout this article, but the terminology of migrant versus refugee/asylee does matter. Asylum is a complicated process, and the U.S. has a very narrow definition who is considered a refugee. Migrant as a term can be a more expansive, however U.S. policy gives little if any recognition to “undocumented migrants” and “economic migrants” unless to penalize or exclude them in policy. I use migrant here in my own to include all of those stuck at the Tapachula site. I do so to try and consider the many reasons and ways that people migrate. I hope that this article begins to helps us think more critically of migrant and asylum narratives we see in the media.

I would like to thank Nicole Narrea whose Vox article I first saw concerning the protest.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/2/17/22937405/migrant-sew-lips-tapachula-mexico-us-border