US Immigration Raids Put Yucatán on High Alert

Mérida, Mexico — The government of Yucatán is on high alert following an increase in immigration raids in the United States. The Institute for the Development of Maya Culture (Indemaya) is monitoring the situation of Maya migrants from Yucatán abroad and reinforcing support for those who are deported or repatriated. The institute is simultaneously adjusting its family visit programs and consular alliances to prevent family separations and safeguard migrant communities.

The agency, which serves the Maya migrant population from the state of Yucatán, reported that in recent days it has received alerts from Oregon and Portland from citizens who reported an increase in immigration operations against their compatriots.

The head of Indemaya, Fabiola Loeza, stated that "for almost 15 days now, the National Guard has been there. This is a danger because the vast majority of our countrymen are in Los Angeles, in San Francisco, and in Oregon, and most are from the south of the state."

In light of this, she indicated, it is necessary "to be prepared, alert, and vigilant so that if, in any case, many are deported, we know and have a way to help them and to bring them back, to bring them here."

Among the available supports for repatriated countrymen is a one-time aid payment of 20,000 pesos, which the families of the affected person can request through Indemaya's municipal liaisons, to be delivered once the person returns to Yucatán.

Advocacy in the U.S.

Loeza explained that this aid was defended when faced with the possibility of it being eliminated, because "we have to demonstrate that the Maya people exist in the United States." The institute also conducts linking services, locates missing persons, repatriates those who die abroad, and provides accompaniment to families.

With the approaching holiday season—when many family members visit migrant relatives—Indemaya has adapted the "Linaje del Mayab" program (formerly "Cabecitas Blancas") so that Yucatecan parents, in many cases undocumented migrants, can visit their children without alerting authorities and avoid deportation.

"We want families to reunite, but we do not want to harm them," said Loeza, who added that they are working in a "smart way… respecting the timelines and regulations that the Consulate has allowed us."

Special and Humanitarian Visas

Through this channel, interviews, visas, and special humanitarian visas for cases of terminal illness are already being managed, with consular collaboration.

The urgency of the issue is evident when considering that, according to Indemaya, between 20 and 30 people from Yucatán have been repatriated so far this year, although civil society organizations estimate the real figure could be higher.

Furthermore, the institute warned that approximately 100,000 Yucatecans could be at risk of deportation for residing in the United States without legal status, a situation that jeopardizes remittances that, for the state, represent millions of dollars annually.

In this context, Indemaya reiterates the need for institutional accompaniment, consular coordination, and prevention strategies to protect migrants and their families, given what they consider a more volatile immigration scenario for Maya communities.