Mexico Archives

A family of three from Honduras crosses the border wall on the beach in Tijuana, Mexico, before surrendering to Border Patrol on the other side on December 13th, 2018.

Social Justice

In Tijuana, Some Migrant Families Choose Detention Over a Tent City

Migrants planning to cross, both legally and illegally, say they fear Customs and Border Patrol detention. But because asylum-seekers entering legally are also detained, many still decide to cross the border illegally.

Jack Herrera

Even though the migrant shelter at Benito Juárez sports complex was closed and condemned as unsanitary, over 300 migrants remain camped on the street outside the complex.

Social Justice

‘I’m Not Letting the Other Side Out of My Sights’: Why Some Migrants in Tijuana Refuse to Use the New Indoor Shelter

Though the government has opened a large indoor shelter in Tijuana for members of the caravan, around 350 migrants remain in a tent village against the border.

Jack Herrera

Viewfinder: Celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City

A pilgrim arrives on his knees at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City during the annual celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint, on December 12th, 2018.

Pacific Standard Staff

Field Notes: Canteens Found Along the U.S.-Mexico Border

Ajo, Arizona: Heavy-duty, non-biodegradable canteens—occasionally insulated with clothing or blankets to prevent chafing—scatter the desert in the Tucson sector of the United States border with Mexico.

Pacific Standard Staff

Dodging Bullets to Make the World’s Best Coffee in Mexico

Juan Carlos Lopez is braving local violence so that indigenous workers can get a share of the profits.

Nathaniel Parish Flannery

Social Justice

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Brings an Aggressive Approach to the Presidency

A lengthy transition period has given Mexicans a preview of how the fiery leftist leader will run his six-year term.

Luis Gómez Romero

A Mexican Mazahua girl washes some clothes at La Presita reservoir in Loma de Juarez, Mexico.

Social Justice

Inside the Water Rights Battle Between the Mexican Government and the Mazahua

The State of Mexico is a nexus for a dispute between the government and the women-led activists of one of the country's largest indigenous groups.

Meg Vatterott

Central American migrants (mostly Hondurans) run along the Tijuana River near the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, near the U.S.–Mexico border, after the U.S. border patrol threw tear gas to disperse them after an alleged verbal dispute, on November 25th, 2018.

News in Brief

Tear Gas on the Border Is Only the Beginning of a Standoff That Could Last Months

Legal experts and migrants' rights advocates warn that the crisis will persist as migrants continue to arrive in Tijuana and other border towns.

Jack Herrera

Field Notes: A DEA Agent Inspects a Drug-Smuggling Tunnel Under the U.S.-Mexico Border

San Luis, Arizona: A United States Drug Enforcement Administration official aims a flashlight down a 55-foot-deep drug-smuggling tunnel that spans a distance of nearly 240 yards under the U.S.-Mexico border. Drugs ran north, and weapons and cash ran south.

Pacific Standard Staff

A U.S. Border Patrol agent searches for tracks after a night of surveillance using night-vision equipment as agents carry out special operations near the U.S.-Mexico border fence.

Letter From Campo, California: Hiking the Route Border-Crossers Take From Mexico Into the U.S.

Twenty-four hours in rattlesnake country.

Caroline Benner