The number of migrants crossing the border from Mexico into the United States has decreased dramatically in the past few weeks. This follows the introduction of the 'Remain in Mexico' policy, which orders asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are decided. But the policy has been criticized for putting migrants at risk in areas ill equipped to look after them. CGTN's Dan Williams reports.

Two people jump from a car and make a dash for the US border. Nearby, two Mexican National Guards patrol the area. Within seconds, the two migrants are in US territory. There is little the guards can do. The migrants will be picked up by US border patrol. But the flow of migrants into the US appears to have slowed in recent months following new policies by the Trump administration. The 'Migrant Protection protocols' or the 'Remain in Mexico' policy means migrants must stay in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated. Dilcia and her son Anthony left Honduras because of the violence there. Her husband and other twin son have already reached Houston, Texas. But having been separated on the journey, Dilcia and Anthony have been stuck in Juarez for months.

DILCIA ACEITUNO HONDURAN MIGRANT "I miss my child and I miss my partner because my son has been suffering for his brother because they are twins. And I ask God to give me an opportunity to arrive and let me see my child."

Asylum seekers face a long wait. First, they are given a number, a system known as 'metering'. The process starts when that number is called. But that can take weeks. Then, under the 'Remain in Mexico' policy, asylum seekers can wait many months in Mexico before they are called to have their cases heard by a judge. Michael is a former soldier that left Honduras with his four children. They have their papers and are now awaiting a court date.

MICHAEL HONDURAN MIGRANT "I hope they don't send us back. Because the truth is that we come from a very dangerous area and if they send us back. It is like they send us to our deaths."

DAN WILLIAMS JUAREZ, MEXICO "This hostel was originally set up to help abused and vulnerable women and children from the Juarez region. The shelter welcomed its first migrants just four months ago. It now houses more than 240."

Ismael Martinez runs the shelter. He's already preparing for more arrivals.

ISMAEL MARTINEZ, COORDINATOR PAN DE VIDA SHELTER "Thousands and thousands are going to stay here in Mexico. There is not another option to go back to their country. Why they go back They don't have food, they don't have a home. Some of them don't have families. Why would they go back?"

Since the 'Remain in Mexico' program began in January some 20,000 migrants have been sent back to Mexico. Many of the shelters in Juarez are now stretched to capacity.

LINDA RIVAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LAS AMERICAS IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY CENTER "Remain in Mexico essentially asks Mexico to meet their international obligations while we get to not meet ours."

Along the border, a group of migrants huddle next to an emergency gate at the wall. They hope a US border patrol will soon pick them up. For many, that will begin another journey back across a border they risked so much to cross. Dan Williams, CGTN, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.