Migrants on the southern border of Mexico try to return to their countries or obtain a regular status in the country after the restrictions of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, but hundreds cannot return with their own means while the shelters serve them without government support.
The Catholic Church in Tapachula, the largest city on the border with Central America, shared with EFE its concern because it is preparing with its own resources to receive people deported by the Trump Government to the southern border and helping those who seek to return voluntarily to their countries.
Father César Augusto Cañaveral, responsible for the Pastoral Care for Human Mobility, warned of the impact of mass deportations and the response of the Government of Mexico to Trump’s policies.
“In the shelter we have 40% of people who are returning to their countries of origin, between 70 and 80 people who are at the door to be returned,” he said in an interview.
Most, the priest detailed, are people from Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia and Venezuela who are in Mexico with families who now prefer to return to their countries since Trump returned to the White House on January 20.
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In particular, they have been discouraged by the policies of mass deportations, the “closing” of the border with thousands of deployed soldiers and the elimination of the ‘CBP One’ application of the Office of Customs and Border Protection that allowed to apply for asylum in the United States from southern Mexico.
“They are truncated hopes of no longer wanting to (continue) and another (reason is) because they stopped their migration procedures and have wanted to return and not expose their lives to what we are living in Mexico,” commented the priest.
Migrants also perceive a tightening in politics in Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum deployed 10,000 elements of the National Guard (GN) on the border with the United States after a call on February 3 with Trump to pause 25% tariffs on Mexican products for a month.
“Something has to be done with that president of the United States, who can let us in, we are sad,” Venezuelan Alvani Villasana, who went out in the last caravan in search of reaching Mexico City, told EFE.
In particular, Venezuelans, who account for about a quarter of irregular migration in Mexico, regret that Trump has ended with Temporary Protection Status (TPS) and the ‘CBP One’.
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“We went through the jungle, we went through many things, so that today it comes out with that it has already eliminated the TPS and the ‘CBP One’. What else does it touch us?” he said.
Another Venezuelan, Nancy Soler, arrived at a shelter in Tapachula after living in a camp, but said that these shelters are no longer an option under the surveillance of the authorities.
“We would rather stay here (on the street) than stay there. Imagine I come from Venezuela, crossing seven countries to get here, crossing the jungle, going through work to continue the same, I’m not going to the United States, I’m going to Zacatecas, where they’re waiting for me, but there’s no kind of permit,” he lamented.
Herbert Bermúdez, administrator of the Jesús El Buen Pastor shelter, mentioned that this place is preparing to receive deported migrants with a capacity for 1,200 people.
“If the United States deports them, Mexico awaits them with open arms, it is a very beautiful thing of humanity from the Government, not government money, but there is support from the Government, such as food, mats, which is the most essential, food, a place to rest,” he said.
Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.
The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Security and border infrastructure
In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.
The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.
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Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.
The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.
The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.
Migration and development
On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.
The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.
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Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.
The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.
France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.
“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.
The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.
About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.
The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.
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The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.
Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.
Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
More than 70 million people remained under heat alerts Monday as an intense heat wave continued across the southern United States, particularly Florida and states along the Mexican border, where temperatures and heat indexes could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Several cities recorded or tied temperature records over the weekend and into Monday, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Laredo, Borger and Austin’s airport in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee.
The NWS warned that the heat wave will continue affecting the southern and southeastern United States, with maximum temperatures expected to remain near 38°C to 40°C for several days. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot conditions feel, could reach 46°C.
The extreme heat is also spreading into the Southwest, where temperatures began rising again between Monday and Tuesday. Forecast highs in the region range from about 38°C to 43°C.
Heat alerts remain in effect across Nevada, Arizona and California, including areas in southern Arizona and California near the Mexican border, as authorities warn of the risks posed by prolonged extreme temperatures.
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The NWS urged residents to limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, ensure access to air conditioning or cooling centers, and check on vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members.
The United States is experiencing a summer marked by above-average temperatures and repeated heat waves. One of the most intense episodes occurred during the July 4 weekend, when extreme heat was blamed for roughly 30 deaths.
July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since measurements began, with the average temperature across the contiguous country approaching 25°C, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The combination of extreme heat and drought conditions has also fueled wildfires. Nearly 3 million hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, making it the largest area affected by wildfires in a decade.
