Mario Torres, a 23-year-old Venezuelan migrant, has faced numerous hardships during his two-year journey through Latin America, including being shot during an attempted kidnapping in Mexico. After fleeing Venezuela in 2018 and living in various countries, he found himself stranded when the Trump administration reinstated strict asylum policies in January 2025, effectively blocking pathways for migrants seeking refuge in the United States. Torres is among approximately 300,000 migrants who have begun retracing their steps back to South America, with many returning to countries like Colombia and Peru. A significant 85% of those returning are Venezuelans, many of whom are still searching for stability amid the ongoing crises in their home country. The situation is further complicated by regional anti-migration policies, as countries like Chile and El Salvador adopt stricter measures, treating migration as a national security issue rather than a humanitarian one. This shift has left many migrants, including Torres, in a state of uncertainty about their futures, as they navigate a landscape of dwindling resources and increasing barriers to regularization in host countries.