This February 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 February 16, 2026 through February 20, 2026. It also relies on local news articles to fill in any gaps. 

Since the Trump administration assumed office and halted asylum processing, the conditions for migrants along the border have changed significantly. In January 2025, the administration cancelled approximately 30,000 scheduled CBP One appointments and closed the pathway for an estimated 200,000 to 270,000 asylum seekers in Mexico who were actively seeking those appointments.12 Many of these individuals left Mexican border cities, with some traveling to larger interior cities—such as Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City—returning to their communities or countries of origin, or crossing into the United States as clandestine migrants. However, as of February 2026, an estimated 5,260 migrants continue to live in Mexican border cities.