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Conexión Migrante and Factchequeado present a series of investigations documenting how misinformation about migration has become a lucrative business in Mexico, in a context marked by Donald Trump's return to the US presidency, the elimination of the CBP One app, and border militarization.
What we wanted to investigate
Our goal was to answer a key question: how did patterns of misinformation change after the tightening of U.S. immigration policy in January 2025? We wanted to understand who was behind this misinformation and who benefits from it.
What we found
With access to asylum in the United States closed, more migrants are choosing to stay in Mexico and regularize their status. However, the country was not prepared to receive them. The absence of official information has turned the Mexican state itself into the main generator of disinformation, leaving thousands of people at the mercy of fraud and abuse.
The investigation—conducted with the support of the International Center for Journalists' (ICFJ) Disarming Disinformation program—documented the following over a seven-month period:
COMAR websites that have not been updated since 2016.
Official communication on social media that has been abandoned.
A total absence on TikTok, the platform where migrants most often seek information.
A lack of guidance in offices, which allows for the sale of appointments and services that should be free.
This information vacuum opened the door to an entire fraud industry: lawyers charging between $500 and $750 for free procedures, the sale of appointments for $20 to $40, and more sophisticated scams reaching $3,500.
Survey data:
A questionnaire administered in 2023 and repeated in 2025 confirms the increase in fraud:
Exposure to deception: 30% (2023) → 49.4% (2025).
Actual victims: 18.8% (2023) → 27.2% (2025).
Published stories:
“I'm staying in Mexico: migrants blocked by Trump, trapped in the Sheinbaum administration's misinformation” — centerpiece of the series.
“From Facebook to TikTok: misinformation grows and almost 50% of migrants are victims of fraud” — analysis of the migrant audience survey.
“Tapachula, the Border of Deception” — how the information vacuum on the southern border began and the fraud industry that operates there.
“Stories in Line: the Ordeal of Seeking Refuge in Mexico”, — how misinformation makes migrants believe that applying for asylum in Mexico will bring them closer to the US border.
“‘We'll give you a visa’: they use the name Asylum Access to deceive” — a network of scammers in northern Mexico that offered fake visas to migrants.
“Trump and Sheinbaum's scissors collapse the refugee system” — consequences of Trump's cuts to the UN and their impact on Mexico.
Social Media findings:
At least 38 fake accounts on TikTok posing as media outlets such as Telemundo.
169 posts analyzed (July 2024 – June 2025).
60 specific accounts spreading misleading content.
The discourse has changed: previously, the “American dream” was sold; today, Mexico is promoted as a “plan B.”
How we did it
The project included:
Fieldwork in Mexico City, Naucalpan, Tapachula, and Monterrey.
Interviews with dozens of migrants in lines and offices of COMAR.
Visits to law offices.
Ten transparency requests to obtain official data on asylum, detentions, deportations, and budget.
Consultations with former officials and civil organizations.
The team
This investigation was reported by Nadia Sanders with additional reporting by Wendy Selene Pérez. Edition by Wendy Selene Pérez, Patricia Mercado, and Laura Zommer. The design was by Jhasua Razo, and the photographs were by Teresa González, Benjamín Alfaro, and María Ruiz. The Audiences team consisted of Olivia Rivarola, Daniela Buenabad, and Selene Tapia.
This investigation was made thanks to the support of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Disarming Disinformation program.
Read all stories in this series here.
