2021 was a record year in the detention of migrants and refugees in Mexico: a total 307 thousand people were intercepted (detained) by INM. UNHCR carried out 382 visits to detention centers throughout the country and informed 21,900 people on their right to seek asylum in Mexico. Similarly, the alternatives to detention programme was drastically reduced; only 631 asylum seekers were released under the program (for reference, almost 10,000 asylum seekers were released in 2019).
Although visits are authorized by INM across many detention centers, UNHCR and its partners continue to have limited direct access to detainees. Therefore, access to legal aid within the migrant detention centers in some cases may be limited. UNHCR continues to work closely with public defense authorities (IFDP) to provide legal aid to detainees and facilitate access to the asylum procedure and at the higher level to advocate for access to migrant detention centers and persons who might be in need of international protection. Visits to migrant detention centers continue to be conducted across the country.