In January 2025, around 500,000 migrants were in various stages of transit on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border. When the border was abruptly closed by President Donald Trump, those migrants were left with uncertain futures. Some gave up and began their long journeys home, others decided to stay where they were and still others just waited. The governments of the countries through which migrants transited — from Colombia to Mexico — were particularly impacted by changes in U.S. immigration policy.
This report, a joint endeavor of Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of International Migration and the Center for Latin American Studies and supported by The Americas Institute, examines the impact of changes in U.S. policies on the transit countries with particular attention to the cuts in U.S. assistance, the closing of the U.S. border, deportations and the likely taxation of remittances sent home by migrants.
