Asylum Access Mexico (AAMX) is a project of Asylum Access, an advocacy group for illegal aliens and other migrants that helps refugees settle in other countries. ¹ AAMX focuses its efforts on migrants in Mexico, and is one of three regional programs of Asylum Access, the other two being in Thailand and Malaysia. ²

Locations

Asylum Access Mexico operates in seven locations throughout Mexico, including Mexico City, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; Palenque, Chiapas; Tijuana, Baja California; Tenosique, Tabasco; and Villahermosa, Tabasco. ³

Programs

Asylum Access Mexico works to guarantee that refugees and asylum seekers across Mexico have access to due process legal proceedings. AAMX conducts ongoing workshops for refugees and asylum seekers to educate them about their rights under Mexican law. AAMX also offers specialized workshops for refugee women who have escaped “gender-based violence” (GBV). Each year, AAMX reaches over 20,000 refugees with legal aid, making it the largest such provider in Mexico. Additionally, community empowerment workshops are attended by nearly 14,000 refugees each year. ³

Asylum Access Mexico, working with local and regional human rights partners, has pushed for policy changes to benefit the relocation of migrants. For example, in 2018, a legal precedent was set to prevent the detention of migrant and refugee families, when a Mexican district court ordered the release of a Guatemalan woman and her family from an immigration center. In 2020, the Mexican Congress ended the detention of migrant and refugee children by closing a legal loophole, and, under Mexico’s COVID-19 emergency, Mexico’s National Institute for Migration (INM) agreed to release 3,650 migrants and refugees from immigration detention centers, citing health risks. ³

AAMX operates Hospitality Route (in Spanish: La Ruta de la Hospitalidad) partnering with over 30 employers, healthcare providers, NGOs and education institutions. ⁴

AAMX is part of the Global Strategic Litigation Council for Refugee Rights steering committee, as of February 2025. Committee member organizations include the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, Cornell Law School’s Migration and Human Rights Program, the Ara Trust’s Migration and Asylum Project, Refugiados Unidos, HIAS, and the Kituo Cha Sheria Legal Advice Centre. ⁵

Financial

Asylum Access Mexico is a program of Asylum Access. In 2024, Asylum Access reported revenues of $4,702,272 and expenses of $9,342,055 with $11,834,319 in total assets and 12 employees. ⁶ In 2023, Asylum Access reported receiving $1,000,850 in government grants, or about 21% of its total revenues. ⁷

People

Lucia Chavez is the executive director of Asylum Access Mexico. ⁸

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4. Horne, Kadie. “Las Mejores Noticias Sobre Casinos y Consejos de Apuestas Para 2024.” Rutadehospitalidad.org -, October 17, 2024. https://rutadehospitalidad.org/.
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6. “Asylum Access.” ProPublica, May 9, 2013. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/203642040.
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8. “Asylum Access México.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/company/asylum-access-m%C3%A9xico/.