MEXICO CITY — Human Rights Watch released a report documenting the Trump administration's deportation of nearly 13,000 Cubans, Venezuelans, and other nationals to Mexico and called for both countries to publish their secret deportation agreement. The report stated that deportees sent to Mexico under the Trump administration are older and have lived in the U.S. longer than in previous years.

Cubans represent the largest group among those deported, with more than 4,300 individuals sent to Mexico. Human Rights Watch conducted over 50 interviews in the southern Mexican cities of Tapachula and Villahermosa. More than half of the 41 Cubans interviewed had lived in the U.S. since the 1980s or 1990s, and most had held green cards before losing them. One-fourth had no criminal history, while more than half had criminal records, though only 16% of those involved violent crimes.

Most deported Cubans were detained during routine check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while others were taken into custody at their workplaces or in public spaces. None were granted the opportunity to appear before a judge to contest their deportation to Mexico, even when they expressed fear for their safety.

Once in Mexico, deportees are sent to southern cities with few job opportunities, limited access to medical care, and high exposure to cartel activity. They also face a complicated process to obtain refugee status, if they qualify at all. A shelter in Villahermosa has received Cuban deportees as old as 83 in the past year.

"Imagine being 60 or 70 years old, uprooted from your life overnight and sent to a country you don’t know, where authorities leave you out to dry without access to even the most basic services — shelter, healthcare. Imagine being dropped in dangerous cities with nothing but the clothes on your back," said Alcira Hava, Leonard H. Sandler Fellow at Human Rights Watch. "That’s the reality for many Cubans deported to Mexico," she added.

"The U.S. discards them. Cuba discards them," said Josué Leal, a shelter worker in Villahermosa.

Human Rights Watch called on the U.S. to suspend deportations to Mexico unless guarantees for due process and safety are provided. It also urged Mexico to ensure access to medical treatment and a pathway to legalize immigration status for those unable to return home. The organization further called on both governments to publish the agreement under which third-country deportations are carried out.