Mexico - On Wednesday (25/05) an Assistance Center for Migrants and Refugees was opened in the municipality of Motozintla in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The facility will provide direct support to migrants and refugees in vulnerable situations, both those in transit and newcomers who have decided to settle in Motozintla.

The new center will provide vulnerable migrants with information and tailored services based on their specific needs. It will also facilitate referrals to various local service providers, thus promoting interagency coordination in the area of migrant assistance.

Motozintla is located on the migratory route from Guatemala to Mexico, and the nearby border town of Niquivil is one of the most important informal crossing points.

Motozintla is also one of the Chiapas towns with the highest rate of emigration to the USA. Local officials have noticed a recent increase in the flow of migrants leaving their country of origin due to violence, especially from Honduras and El Salvador.

"The center aims to strengthen mechanisms for protection and comprehensive assistance to migrants in vulnerable situations, empowering public servants in assisting vulnerable groups and contributing to their security and defense of their human rights," said IOM Mexico Chief of Mission Christopher Gascon.

The center is part of IOM's Regional Program to Strengthen Capacities to Protect and Assist Vulnerable Migrants in Mesoamerica, launched 2010 with funding from the US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). Motozintla’s local government and the Secretariat for Development of the Southern Border of the State of Chiapas also support the creation and operation of the center.

For further information, please contact Claudette Walls at IOM Mexico, Email: cwalls@iom.int , Tel. +52 962 642 56 74.