While there has been a steady increase in the number of migrants who have started entering the U.S. in order to begin their asylum cases with approximately 200 migrants per day entering through the Tijuana port of entry and 20 migrants entering through Mexicali, the population of foreign migrants continues to increase in the Mexican border cities causing the shelters to be overcrowded and leaving numerous migrants without housing and other essential resources in the cities (Strauss Center, 2023). For the migrants awaiting their asylum process and living in Baja California´s capital, Mexicali, the future might look unclear and for those migrants who are not able to cross the border into the U.S. and ultimately, decide to settle in México, it is beneficial to understand what their resettlement process entails and how that transitions looks different depending on the migrants´profiles or demographics.

Is resettlement even possible for such a large population of foreign migrants, from whom a majority initially intended to stay in the city temporarily, in a small border city such as Mexicali, Baja California? If so, is resettlement possible for every migrant demographic and how does the transition differ based on the migrants´ demographic and experiences? Drawing on the forty-five in-depth interviews conducted in Mexicali during the summer of 2022 in two specific migrant shelters, the research findings analyze the resettlement process of migrants in the city and demonstrate the divergent experiences of migrants based on their different demographics and whether they are considered ¨highly vulnerable¨.