This August 2026 Migration Dynamics and Conditions Update focuses on current U.S. asylum restrictions at ports of entry and migrants’ experiences in Mexican border cities. It draws on phone and WhatsApp interviews with Mexican government officials and members of civil society organizations on both sides of the border from August 17, 2026 through August 21, 2026. It also relies on local news articles to fill in any gaps.

Over the past decade, millions of migrants have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border—with some attempting to irregularly enter the country and others seeking asylum at or between ports of entry. The United States’ policy approach toward clandestine migrants who attempt to cross without detection has largely remained the same. This approach focuses on identifying, detaining, and removing those individuals. However, U.S. authorities have enacted a range of different policy responses for asylum seekers claiming protection at ports of entry. In recent years, these responses have included channeling asylum seekers into specific legal pathways, the establishment of a digital lottery system, and the partial or complete blocking of access to the U.S. asylum system. During each shift, asylum-seeking migrants have reacted in varying ways, such as by creating asylum waitlists or encampments along the border.