The Cartagena Declaration in Mexico: institutional weakness, ample discretion and inequality

In the past decades, Mexico has consolidated as a destination country for populations seeking asylum. Since 2014, asylum requests in Mexico have grown exponentially. In 2021, Mexico ranked third globally regarding the number of asylum requests received. This article explores some tensions and paradoxes in the contemporary Mexican asylum system. On the one hand, it shows how a robust legal framework clashes with significant institutional weakness. The Mexican Commission for Refugees (COMAR) has a meager budget and limited national presence, which translated into long periods of waiting, extended bureaucratic procedures, and thousands of asylum seekers enduring prolonged situations of vulnerability. On the other hand, it analyzes how recognition procedures reveal the discretional application of the Cartagena refugee definition and unequal access to international protection in the country.