Tijuana’s oldest migrant shelter, Casa del Migrante, says it is running out of money fast and could be forced to shut down within months, putting roughly 60 to 80 residents in limbo just as holiday demand rises. Staff have already been cut, meals have been trimmed, and reserves have been tapped, while local groups on both sides of the border scramble to plug the hole.
Director Father Lorenzo Chaidez warned that the shelter may have to close by the end of April if donations do not pick up, according to FOX 5 San Diego. Spanish-language reporting by Uniradio describes staff drawing down what little savings are left and warns that without fresh support, Casa del Migrante will be forced to keep scaling back services. Volunteers and neighboring nonprofits say they are already shifting food and blankets toward the shelter to cover the shortfall.
Funding Shock Tied To U.S. Aid Pause
Shelter managers and local reporting say Casa del Migrante lost roughly 40 percent of its operating funds after a pause in U.S. foreign-assistance obligations earlier this year, a hit that quickly translated into layoffs and program cuts. KPBS chronicled the shortfall, while congressional documents outline an administration review that halted many new foreign-assistance obligations and disrupted grant flows. Shelter leaders say that even when they were not direct USAID grantees, the freeze higher up the chain choked off the pipeline funding that smaller nonprofits relied on.
Who Casa Del Migrante Serves And How It Runs
Founded in the late 1980s and run by the Scalabrinians, Casa del Migrante is a long-standing 140-bed shelter that offers short-term lodging, meals, and legal referrals for migrants and deportees. Its decades of work on a Tijuana hilltop are documented by The Southern Cross. Staff say many of the people currently staying there come from Mexican states such as Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Guerrero and are trying to rebuild their lives after deportation or displacement.
Chaidez said contributions from donors north of the border “have virtually stopped,” and that the shelter is currently housing roughly 60 to 80 people, a level that could strain services if new arrivals keep coming in. FOX 5 San Diego relayed the director’s account, while volunteers describe longer food lines and families turned away at neighboring programs. Local groups are racing to organize fundraisers and collection drives as shelter managers lobby regional partners for bridge funding.
Wider Fallout Across Mexico
The crisis at Casa del Migrante is part of a wider pullback: UN agencies and other international programs have reduced operations in Mexico as major donors cut or freeze funding, leaving smaller shelters to absorb more of the load. Mexico News Daily reported on UNHCR office closures and layoffs tied to budget shortfalls, illustrating how gaps at the top of the aid system can quickly reach street-level services. Shelter directors warn that without restored aid or a serious jump in private donations, more community programs could be forced into painful choices in the coming months.
Casa del Migrante is asking residents of Tijuana and supporters across the border to step in. Its website lists bank and PayPal donation options, a wishlist of food and hygiene items, and a phone number to coordinate gifts, according to Casa del Migrante. Several San Diego nonprofits say they are putting together joint drives to get short-term aid across the border.
