Deported migrants describe perilous journey to southern Mexico

Human rights organizations in southern Mexico are raising alarms about what they call dangerous conditions for migrants who are being deported from the United States and left in remote regions with little guidance or support.

Among them is a 22‑year‑old Venezuelan mother who spoke with NBC6 on the condition that her name not be used for safety reasons. She says she never imagined her path would lead her to a secluded city in southern Mexico.

The woman says she was deported on Jan. 1, along with her 3‑year‑old son. She told NBC6 she had been living in the United States with a deportation order, was apprehended in Pennsylvania and subsequently sent to Texas before being deported to Mexico. 

“It took two and a half days,” she said of the journey from the U.S.-Mexico border to Southern Mexico. 

The Department of Homeland Security launched an update on the CBP Home mobile app on Monday that enables migrants to indicate their plan to leave the U.S.

A growing hub for deported migrants

Human rights groups say that southern Mexico — particularly the city of Villahermosa — has become a landing place for migrants being expelled from the U.S.

July Rodríguez, founder and director of Apoyo a Migrantes Venezolanos, a nonprofit that provides legal guidance to newly arrived migrants, says the recent deportation routes are long, exhausting, and often dangerous.

According to Rodríguez, deported migrants are typically processed in Reynosa, just across the border from McAllen, Texas. After being given food and held for about two hours, they are transported on bus by Mexican authorities approximately 14 to 16 hours south to Villahermosa. With traffic, she says the trip can exceed 24 hours.

But Rodríguez says the most troubling issue is what comes next.

Although migrants are supposed to be taken directly to Villahermosa’s immigration processing center, she says that “the reality is that it doesn’t always happen.” Some migrants report being dropped off in unsafe areas—sometimes overnight.

“We can’t cover the sun with one finger,” Rodríguez said. “These are places with very high levels of insecurity.”

Her organization has heard from engineers, architects, accountants, educators, and others who lived in the U.S. for many years — some for almost a decade — before suddenly being returned to a country they do not know.

Shelters seeing an increase in Venezuelans

In Villahermosa, shelters are feeling the impact.

Josue Martinez Leal, who works at the Amparito Shelter, says they’ve seen a noticeable rise in Venezuelan nationals arriving after deportation from the U.S. Many of them are families — women traveling with young children, like the young mother NBC6 spoke with by video conference.

In 2025, Martinez says the shelter also received Cuban, Honduran, Salvadoran, Colombian and Haitian migrants.

He believes Villahermosa may be intentionally chosen because of its proximity to Guatemala — potentially to encourage migrants to continue south and leave Mexico.

Meanwhile, U.S. deportations to Venezuela continue

While thousands of migrants remain stranded in southern Mexico, the U.S. has been sending others directly back to Venezuela.

Human Rights First reports that between February and December, nearly 80 deportation flights carried more than 14,000 Venezuelans back to their home country — including children.

Martinez says he worries about what lies ahead for migrants who now find themselves in a “third country” —neither the U.S. nor their homeland — without an immediate support network.

For the young mother NBC6 interviewed, returning to Venezuela is not an option. She says she fled an abusive relationship and hoped to build a safer future for herself and her son.

NBC6 reached out to both state and federal Mexican authorities to ask why Villahermosa is being used as a deportation destination, but received no response.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also did not respond to questions about its policies regarding Venezuelan deportations.