Life at the U.S.–Mexico border under the Trump administration

The struggles of women and girls — who are vulnerable to violence and exploitation — are frequently overlooked

Originally published on Global Voices

This article by Tania Roa and in partnership with Border Kindness, first appeared in Migrant Women Press on October 26, 2025. An edited version is being republished on Global Voices under a content partnership agreement.

Every day, hopeful migrants traverse the harsh deserts and treacherous mountain regions of the southern United States in search of safety, shelter, and opportunity. While these dangerous journeys are often reported in the news, the struggles of women and girls — who are vulnerable to violence and exploitation — are frequently overlooked.

Since his first presidential term, Donald Trump’s policies have directly targeted migrant communities and women’s health. Now, during his second term, the growing impacts of climate change and global conflicts have made the already dangerous journeys of migrants even more urgent and fatal.

The policy impact

Trump and his supporters often use inflammatory rhetoric to characterize migrants as criminals, gang members, or even sexual predators, thereby galvanizing public support for increasingly punitive border policies. Such labels also dehumanize migrants, instill fear, and justify aggressive enforcement measures or rollbacks of migrant protections.

The president has repeatedly insulted women — including journalists and his 2024 Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris — and his administration has passed policies threatening women’s health and reproductive rights. The intersection of these narratives disproportionately affects migrant women, many of whom lack legal protections in the U.S., making them especially vulnerable to discriminatory practices.

Despite promises to focus on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal convictions, U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) data illustrates the reality: people who have contributed to American society and the economy are being targeted, detained, and deported illegally. Of the 435,000 unauthorised immigrants with criminal convictions identified by ICE, less than 3,000 had been arrested as of May 2025.

Testimonials of those who have been detained and deported without trial depict ICE's severe human rights violations. Many people, having been arrested by plain clothes ICE officials who kept their faces covered, and were without proper warrants, report feeling as though they had been kidnapped. Detainees were refused proper trials, and were subsequently sent to countries they barely know, or have never lived in.

Suspension of asylum and refugee programs

Seeking asylum in the U.S. has been legal since 1980. Under both international and U.S. law, migrants fleeing violence and persecution are entitled to request entry. By suspending both the asylum and refugee admissions programs, the Trump administration has effectively shut down two of the few legal pathways to U.S. residency and citizenship.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in 2024, under the Biden-Harris administration, “female refugees had a higher median age.” Admissions rose each year from 2022 to 2024, reaching 100,060 refugees — the highest number in 30 years — figures that underscore the global need for humanitarian protection.

The shutdown of CBP One

CBP One is a U.S. government app that allows migrants to schedule appointments with immigration officials. Just hours after returning to office, Trump ordered the app’s shutdown as part of his larger strategy to restrict regular migration. At the time, tens of thousands of migrants with scheduled appointments were notified that their court appearances had been canceled. In the past, CBP One had enabled nearly a million people to legally enter the U.S. and apply for work eligibility. Its closure abruptly removed another vital legal pathway for thousands of families.

Before the shutdown, approximately 280,000 people attempted to access the app each day. Many had already spent weeks or months at the U.S.–Mexico border, hoping for an appointment slot to open — prolonged waits that came after long, hazardous journeys, often involving significant health risks.

With the app no longer functional, migrants have been left with few options: remain at the border without shelter or protection, seek precarious refuge in unfamiliar areas of Mexico, or return to the countries from which they fled, where the dangers that prompted their exodus persist. All of these choices carry serious risks, particularly for women and children, who are especially vulnerable to theft, exploitation, and violence in the absence of safe housing or support.

The “Remain in Mexico” policy

Formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), the “Remain in Mexico” program was first introduced in 2019 under the Trump-Pence administration. It forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their court hearings, often for months or even years.

The Biden-Harris administration ended the program, citing widespread human rights abuses; Trump has now reinstated it, leading to renewed concerns over human rights violations.

A humanitarian crisis, not a migrant one

The U.S.-Mexico border wall is a physical representation of the division, exclusion, and fear that has been created between different ethnicities and nationalities. Despite the Trump administration’s many attempts to deter migrants, there are multiple factors driving people to seek shelter, livelihood, and safety. Environmental devastation, including droughts, hurricanes, and desertification, is displacing families across the globe.

Though migrants understand both the risks of the journey and the harsh stance of the U.S. government, many still choose to take the risk, because doing nothing often means death, instability, or continued violence. Migrating is often a last resort to create a new life with a more stable future.

The role of mutual aid

Since 2018, Border Kindness has been providing life-saving support along the U.S.-Mexico border. The nonprofit supplies food, water, medical care, legal aid, and clothing, meeting the urgent needs of migrants whom official systems have failed.

“People of color are being stopped for their skin color or their accent, and women are especially vulnerable during these times,” explained Kelly Overton, founder of Border Kindness. “At the same time, funders have stopped supporting organizations like ours that support migrants and immigration reform. They’re afraid of being accused of funding anti-American or illegal activities.”

The organization has recently been relying more on community-led fundraising, mostly artists and small donors. Overton says this type of effort is needed now more than ever: “Mutual aid is simple. You don’t have to have a lot, but you can share what you have. We at Border Kindness facilitate mutual aid by redistributing resources to where they’re needed most. It puts us at risk, but we are honored to do it.”

Redistribution, he attests, “looks like a woman in Chicago, Los Angeles, or Austin helping a woman at the border receive baby formula for her young child. They offer what they have, even if it isn’t much. The importance of mutual aid is continuing to give to the people who need it, and that’s what we’re able to do thanks to those willing to share what they have, no matter how much that is.”

Resistance and solidarity

The fight for migrant justice doesn’t stop at the border. Across the U.S., individuals and organizations like the National Immigration Law Center, Freedom for Migrants, and The Bridge (The Haitian Bridge Alliance), are resisting the Trump administration’s immigration policies, as they continue to educate, and provide direct services.

In Los Angeles, community members protested ICE tactics for weeks. Online, two women created a database to track ICE raids to keep affected communities informed. Across the country, neighbors have stood between ICE and their communities, forcing agents to leave. Many Americans are speaking out, showing that solidarity is stronger than fear. As the federal government doubles down on its immigration posture, grassroots resistance continues to rise.