they ve got 21,000 soldiers on the border right now. i m starting to like mexico a lot. this is the new reality for the mexican government ever since president trump threatened this country with tariffs, 11,000 new national guardsman have been stood up along the border with guatemala fr. for the commander her here and his personnel the mission here is as personal as the politics. for security reasons the military insisted we conseal his identity. what s the stated mission of the soldiers who have been stood up here on the border? traveling back and forth between mexico and guatemala has been a part of daily life and commerce for centuries. it s only in the era of
policies have a wide ranging impact that go beyond america s borders. in this case all the way to mexico s border with guatemala. in mexico most people are from somewhere else, and everybody has a story. did you think about going to the u.s.? no. reporter: why not? because i got deported already. reporter: what is it like here? i don t know. it s not good. right now the situation in america is very difficult for illegal immigrants. reporter: president trump isn t just affecting the lives of migrants, he s shifting policy inside mexico. his tune on the country has recently not so subtly shifted. i want to thank, by the way, the country of mexico. they ve got 21,000 soldiers on the border right now. i m starting to like mexico a lot.
did you think about going to the u.s.? no. reporter: no. why not? because i got for theed already. reporter: what is it like here in tapachula? like [ bleep ], i don t know. it s a bad situation, but it s not good. right now, the situation in america is very difficult for illegal immigrants. reporter: president trump isn t just affecting the lives of migrants, he s shifting policy inside mexico. his tune on the country has recently, not so subtly, shifted. i want to thank, by the way, the country of mexico. they ve got 21,000 soldiers on the border right now. i m starting to like mexico a lot. reporter: this is the new reality for the mexican government ever since president trump threatened this country with tariffs. 11,000 new national guardsmen have been stood up along the border with guatemala. for the commander here and his
his parents brought him to california when he was only 3 years old. recently deported he s trying to get back to the only life and family he knows. are you trying to get back? i am. reporter: how are you? either legally or if possible illegal. just to be back with my family. reporter: he told us he feels like a foreigner living in mexico, he ll do whatever it takes to get back to his family in california even if he dies trying to cross back illegally. as you said these policies are advertised as deterrents, but the cost of that is human suffering, people in detention, people who have been separated from their families, deportations or in this case people stuck at international borders unable to move in either direction. cal, stay with us. i want to bring in stephanie valencia. she s on the advisory board of the latino victory fund and
personnel, the mission is as tenuous as the politics. [ speaking foreign language ] reporter: for security reasons, the military insisted we conceal his identity. what s the stated mission of the soldiers who have been stood up here on the border? [ speaking foreign language ] reporter: traveling back and forth between mexico and guatemala has been a part of daily life and commerce for centuries. it s only in the era of president trump that you now officially need an i.d. when reaching the mexican side of the river. that show of force along the border with guatemala is only half the story. the mexican government is setting up centers like this one in an attempt to get migrants to register. it s their way of trying to bring some semblance of order in what is very clearly a chaotic situation.