Transforming Destinations: The Impact of Integration Interventions on the Mobility Decisions of Displaced LGBTIQ+ People in Mexico

Abstract

This article investigates how displaced LGBTQI+ persons in Mexico make decisions about settling in transit countries and the influence of integration programs delivered by civil society organizations on these decisions. Drawing on 15 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Mexico City and Monterrey—including interviews, participant observation, and engagement with local organizations—this study explores how forced migrants navigate their trajectories under conditions of uncertainty, violence, and shifting policy environments. The analysis focuses on three interrelated dimensions: first, the specific vulnerabilities and considerations that shape the migration journeys of LGBTQI+ individuals, including experiences of discrimination, violence, and legal invisibility; second, the role played by civil society organizations in offering services, psychosocial support, and spaces of belonging that often reconfigure migrants’ sense of agency and future planning; and third, the evolving nature of Mexico as a transit country, where rising enforcement measures and limited access to U.S. asylum increasingly lead people to reassess their original migration goals. By centering the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQI+ people on the move, the article challenges linear, destination-focused understandings of migration and contributes to debates on integration, protection, and mobility in contexts of forced countries of destination. It argues that inclusive, person-centered integration efforts have the potential not only to enhance the well-being of marginalized groups, but also to reshape their migration choices in ways that reflect both structural constraints and personal aspirations. The findings underscore the need to rethink border-focused responses and instead prioritize resilience-building strategies rooted in local solidarity networks.