With the growing number of asylum-seekers moving through southern Mexico, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF) is stepping up its response by increasing mobile clinics along migrant routes. MSF urges Mexican authorities to improve services for these migrants, who face significant risks from violence, poor sanitation, and a lack of basic resources. This expansion reflects the increasing health needs of migrant caravans, which have grown in size due to ongoing violence along their journey.
From January to August this year, the Mexican government recorded a 131% rise in irregular migration compared to the same period in 2023. However, MSF reports that the true number of migrants may be even higher. Many migrants, including families, are forced to travel in large caravans as a means of self-protection from kidnappings, extortion, and other forms of violence. Ricardo Santiago, MSF’s project coordinator in southern Mexico, notes that caravan sizes have expanded dramatically—from hundreds to thousands of people—as migrants seek safety in numbers.
In just six weeks, between late September and early November, MSF provided 855 medical consultations to thousands of migrants across eight caravans traveling through Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. To support these migrants, MSF offers maps that indicate where essential services, including healthcare, are accessible along their routes.
Poor sanitation and extreme conditions add to the migrants’ health challenges. Many suffer from respiratory infections, muscle pain, and skin and gastrointestinal conditions, often due to unsafe drinking water, long treks, and exposure to high temperatures. Chronic conditions like hypertension, asthma, and diabetes also require ongoing care, and MSF teams frequently treat migrants who have endured physical and sexual violence.
Mental health issues are another urgent concern, as anxiety, depression, acute stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are widespread among migrants who have faced traumatic incidents along their journey. Daniel Bruce, head of the MSF base in Tapachula, shared the story of a man who, after surviving kidnapping and torture, arrived at a clinic in Huixtla, Chiapas, visibly distressed. “He just hugged me and cried,” Bruce recalled. “The team supported him, giving him resources to manage his trauma and begin recovery.”
The MSF team continues to assist newly arrived migrants by providing critical information and referrals for those in need of specialized medical care. In places like La Venta, Oaxaca, MSF social workers collaborate with local health centers and authorities to connect critically ill migrants with appropriate treatment. This effort reflects MSF’s longstanding commitment in Mexico, where it has operated since 1985. Today, MSF manages programs in locations such as Matamoros, Reynosa, Mexico City, Coatzacoalcos, Tapachula, and Suchiate, focusing on the health needs of vulnerable people on the move.
By offering healthcare, mental health support, and guidance, MSF is addressing both the visible and hidden suffering of migrants traveling through Mexico. Their work highlights the pressing need for safer migration routes and stronger healthcare provisions to protect those seeking refuge from violence and hardship.