On January 20, 2025, the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, will assume his second term. Given this situation, the Mexican authorities are concerned about the possible implementation of the immigration policies that the president promoted during his presidential campaign.
Faced with this possibility, the Baja California authorities have taken a clear position on the matter.
Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda spoke about the strategy that is being implemented in coordination with the federal government to deal with this situation: the priority will be the installation of shelters, mainly in Tijuana and Mexicali, as well as collaboration with other states to facilitate the transfer of repatriated people to their places of origin.
“There will be a meeting with the Federal Government to determine where these shelters will be placed, particularly in Tijuana. I think it is hopeful that the governor of California, (Gavin) Newsom, has declared California a sanctuary state for migrants. This will allow us to have better communication regarding the deportations that take place in that state,” she said.
The governor stressed that Mexicans who are repatriated will be welcomed in Baja California, where they will receive care and guidance. However, in the case of foreigners, she pointed out that they must be sent to their countries of origin.
“We receive them, we give them care in our shelters, we talk to them and we help them get to their place of origin. As for foreigners, they will have to return to their countries,” she concluded, while estimating that around 25 thousand repatriations could be recorded in Baja California if these policies are implemented.
For her part, the mayor of Mexicali, Norma Bustamante Martínez, in the framework of International Migrants Day, reflected on the migratory experience of the Capital of Baja California. She recalled the waves of people in the context of human mobility that have occurred in recent years, which, she said, did not get out of control.
“For us, the immigration issue is not foreign to the border states. We must remember that we have faced two strong waves of Haitian migration. The Peregrino shelter is an ideal place that does not exist anywhere else in the Mexican Republic, and it has never been at its full capacity. When the Haitians arrived, we opened the comprehensive development centers and even considered tents and temporary places,” he mentioned.
Finally, the senator for Chihuahua, Juan Carlos Loera de la Rosa, during his visit to Mexicali, assured that there will be no problems with the immigration issue, since Mexico today is in better conditions to face it. However, when questioned about the lack of support from the federation to the citizen shelters, specifically in the State Capital, he diverted the subject and stopped attending to the media.
Source: zetatijuana
