Mexico - Recent Migrants stranded in Mexico are facing an increasingly uncertain future, with many being pushed to dangerous paths due to the stricter U.S. migration policies implemented during Donald Trump's second term. The Trump administration is claiming victory, citing a dramatic 36-percent drop in migrant apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border in January, compared to the previous month. However, this figure may lack crucial context. Migration flows had already been on a downward trend throughout 2024, largely because of an agreement between former U.S. President Joe Biden and the Mexican government. Mexico pledged to curb undocumented border arrivals by limiting daily crossings to 4,000, increasing border patrols, and deploying its military to assist in enforcement. As a result, in the fiscal year ending in September 2024, U.S. Border Patrol reported 25 percent fewer migrant encounters than in the preceding 12 months. Now Mexican authorities have gone a step further by agreeing to coordinate patrols with the U.S. military on the Mexican side of the border. This border tightening has left many migrants, like Venezuelan national Dario Mesa, in a state of limbo. Currently residing in a shelter in Mexico City, Mesa describes the ordeal of attempting to return home as a nightmare. "There are a lot of requirements to return: a valid passport, a fine for entering Mexico undocumented, a migratory exit permit, a flight to Colombia, and a bus ticket to the Venezuelan border -- it costs a lot of money just to get back to where you started," he said. For many migrants, returning home is no longer a viable option, and some are considering extreme alternatives. "If you want to get into the U.S. right now, you have to go illegally," Mesa noted. The tightening border policies have led to a growing demand for smugglers, whose operations often elude U.S. Border Patrol and remain undetected in the official statistics of intercepted crossings. "Organized crime has benefited, because human smugglers prey upon people's determination to reach the U.S. Demand for their services has soared, and their prices have risen," said Michel Martinez, a migration lawyer. With Trump's second term marking a new chapter in U.S. immigration policy, questions about its real impact continue to accumulate. While the U.S. government points to reduced crossings, the toll on migrants, many of whom are driven toward dangerous paths, cannot be ignored. The video shows: FILE: Mexico - Date Unknown 1. Various of border crossing between Mexico, U.S., national flags of both countries, barbed wires 2. Aerial shot of border wall along Mexico-U.S. border Mexico City, Mexico - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 3. Various of Venezuelan migrant Dario Mesa at temporary shelter 4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dario Mesa, Venezuelan migrant (starting with shot 3/partially overlaid with shot 5): "There are a lot of requirements to return: a valid passport, a fine for entering Mexico undocumented, a migratory exit permit, a flight to Colombia, and a bus ticket to the Venezuelan border -- it costs a lot of money just to get back to where you started." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 5. Various of interior of shelter ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ FILE: Mexico - Date Unknown 6. Various of migrants, immigration officials 7. Aerial shots of migrants walking along highroad 8. Various of traffic on bridge Mexico City, Mexico - Recent 9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dario Mesa, Venezuelan migrant: "If you want to get into the U.S. right now, you have to go illegally." FILE: Mexico - Date Unknown 10. Various of border wall along Mexico-U.S. border Mexico City, Mexico - Recent 11. Various of migrant washing clothes at shelter 12. Various of migration lawyer Michel Martinez using cell phone 13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Michel Martinez, migration lawyer (partially overlaid with shot 14): "Organized crime has benefited, because human smugglers prey upon people's determination to reach the U.S. Demand for their services has soared, and their prices have risen." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ FILE: Mexico - Date Unknown 14. Various of aircraft patrolling border, border wall, people walking on mountain ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 15. Aerial shots of border wall, mountain [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]