Mexico
In Mexico, many families aren’t just migrants but refugees fleeing violence and extortion by gangs, and facing perilous journeys with high risks of assault. Policy changes have forced more asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, where they confront danger. Our work includes equipping shelters with essential resources, ensuring the safety of 250 asylum seekers, with a special focus on LGBTQ+ individuals.
World rankings
#1 is most peaceful, equal, and democratic
Peace
#136out of 163 countries
Gender Equality
#31out of 146 countries
Democracy
#72out of 167 countries
Issue Area
Emergency Response
Community-building
Our programming In Mexico leans heavily towards emergency response –
that includes health services, food relief, and agriculture projects.
Search and Preemptive Love aims to weave Community programming into all programs.
The Northern Triangle of Central America—Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala—is the most violent region on earth not in an active state of war. The families who flee to Mexico aren’t just “migrants.” Many are refugees trying to escape violence. They are on the run from gangs who extort family-owned businesses, kidnap women and girls, and threaten to forcibly recruit or kill children—much like ISIS does in Syria and Iraq.
Some of those seeking asylum at the border are from even further away—in some cases, as far as Uganda or Cameroon. They are desperate in their fear, in their hunger for safety. During the perilous journey to the border, one in six women and girls will be assaulted. Many will drain their entire savings just for a chance at safety. They are vulnerable to thieves who would take what little they have, coyotes (human smugglers) who would exploit them, and governments who would use them as pawns to score political points. Some even die.
Initially, families crossed the border at places like El Paso to request asylum on US soil. As government policy has changed, more asylum seekers are forced to wait in Mexico.
In Mexico, they are met with uncertainty. Most arrive with nothing, not even the most basic essentials. While they wait, they are at risk of kidnapping and assault. Shelters are stretched beyond capacity. Many refugees, especially those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, cannot venture outside because the risk of assault is so high.
We are showing up to help the most vulnerable. Preemptive Love began responding on the US-Mexico border in June 2019, after months of listening, learning, and quietly showing up alongside local friends.
We distributed emergency supplies for 2,200 asylum seekers waiting in El Paso. And when the burden of this crisis shifted across the border to Mexico, Search and Preemptive Love shifted too. Search and Preemptive Love have equipped one shelter with solar panels, sourcing all labor and supplies locally, and providing comfort and safety for 250 asylum seekers.
We are providing safer shelter for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers who fled persecution at home and now face persecution while they wait. Search and Preemptive Love are also in the early stages of launching a mobile tech hub to provide training and freelance work for refugees—without having to leave the safety of their shelter.
