At least 6 out of every 10 immigrants arrive in Mexico due to violence in their country, according to UNHCR
Just over half of the testimonies indicated violence, threats, and intimidation as the main reasons why they left their country of origin
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced that 61% of the population that entered Mexico irregularly in 2025 suffered from violence, threats, and intimidation in their country of origin, a percentage higher than the 53% recorded in 2025 previous.
To conduct the study, the agency and civil society organizations gathered information in Tapachula, Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Reynosa, Ecatepec, Mexico City, Monterrey, Saltillo, Villahermosa, Piedras Negras, Monterrey, and Suchiate. So far in 2025, 1,490 surveys have been conducted among the population that entered Mexico illegally. These surveys gathered information from 3,016 people from more than 15 countries, with the following results:
“In 2025, 61% of the population reported violence, threats, and intimidation as their main reason for leaving, and 80% mentioned that they would face a risk if they had to return to their country,” UNHCR noted.
In addition, it warned that these figures indicate “an increase in the proportion of people who are very likely in need of international protection.”
UNHCR also detailed that in 2024, 55% of people traveled in family groups and 45% did so individually, while in 2025, 52% were adults traveling alone and 48% were families.
“There are slightly fewer family groups leaving their country of origin compared to previous years, or families traveling separately,” it stated.
It even pointed out a variation in the age composition, since in 2025 one in four people is a child or adolescent, when in 2024 it was one in three.
Of the more than a thousand respondents, 73% did not have any immigration or asylum system documents, which, according to UNHCR, "increases the risks of their rights being violated within the national territory."
The agency listed the incidents suffered by this population in Mexico, since 58% reported having been victims of a crime in the northern part of the country, of which 22% mentioned kidnapping or abduction, 21%, robbery, and 10%,extortion.
“This means that the risks during transit through the national territory continue to be latent for the population in a situation of mobility,” the agency warned.
Finally, UNHCR stated that, according to official information, “the number of people entering Mexican territory irregularly has decreased considerably in 2025.”