The new United States (US) administration that came into power in January implemented policies that had a severe impact on people travelling the Central American migration route, including an increase in deportations and a significant reduction in movement across the entire region. In particular, the closure of the CBP One mobile app, through which people booked asylum appointments to enter the US, reshaped humanitarian needs across Mexico.

To adapt to these changes, we closed projects in Coatzacoalcos, Reynosa, and Matamoros, where for more than seven years we had focused on assisting people in transit or waiting at the border. As people were unable to continue their journeys and remained in Mexico, they faced uncertainty about their futures, legal obstacles, and difficulties in obtaining healthcare. Consequently, our activities shifted from emergency aid to addressing the chronic medical and psychological needs of people left in legal and social limbo.

Mexico City and other urban centres became places of reception and long‑term stay rather than points of transit. In response, MSF continued working in the capital, and in Tapachula, to support people no longer on the move, but trying to rebuild their lives. On the northern border, in Ciudad Juárez, we reoriented our activities towards victims of violence. Our Comprehensive Care Centre in Mexico City remained central to our work in the country, with teams there providing multidisciplinary care – comprising medical, psychiatric, and psychological care, social work, and physiotherapy – to victims and survivors of extreme violence, torture, and sexual assault.

Across all our projects, including an emergency response in Hidalgo state after the devastation caused by Hurricane Priscilla, we broadened our approach to include not only migrants and internally displaced people, but also local communities with limited access to healthcare due to socioeconomic and geographic barriers. We adapted our activities in fixed facilities and mobile clinics to reach dispersed and often invisible communities, while mental health care became increasingly important as people endured prolonged displacement and trauma.