The Mexican government is in talks with other Latin American countries to directly receive the next migrants deported by the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, instead of receiving them in Mexico, revealed this Thursday (12/26/2024) the president, Claudia Sheinbaum.
“Yes, Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente is talking with some other countries whose inhabitants cross the national territory to reach the northern border,” the president responded in her morning conference when questioned about whether the Government is talking with other nations to receive the deportees.
The Mexican leader reiterated “the insistence to the United States that the repatriation be done to the different countries of origin,” instead of expelling them to Mexico.
“The foreign minister will explain it himself, but (he is speaking) with several countries, particularly in Central America, and we will always be close, because although we have a trade agreement with the United States and Canada (the T-MEC), we will always be close to Latin America,” Sheinbaum said without further details.
The country is concerned about the mass deportations promised by Trump because Mexicans are about half of the 11 million undocumented people in the United States and their remittances represent almost 4% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP), which this year would receive an estimated record of 65 billion dollars.
Record number of irregular migrants
In addition, although the daily encounter of undocumented people at the United States border has decreased by 75% since December 2023, the Mexican government detected a record of more than 925,000 irregular migrants from January to August, a year-on-year increase of almost 132%.
Sheinbaum has promised solidarity with migrants from Latin America, but has warned that her priority will be to care for deported Mexicans.
“Of course we will continue to defend Mexicans in the United States, that is what is our responsibility, and in case there are deportations we will prepare to be able to welcome them,” she reaffirmed now.
Trump will resume deportations of migrant families
For his part, Donald Trump’s ‘border czar’, Tom Homan, announced this Thursday that the future United States Government will reintroduce the detention of migrant families when it comes to power on January 20.
Homan explained in an interview with the newspaper The Washington Post that immigration authorities will detain adults with minor children in centers with tents or marquees, similar to those used during migratory waves.
The ‘border czar’ also said that the Government will not take into account whether the minors are born in the United States and therefore have American nationality.
“The problem is this: you knew you were in the country illegally and you decided to have a child. So it was you who put your family in that position,” he said.
Homan explained that it will be the families who decide whether they are deported to their countries of origin along with the minors or if they are left in the United States.
Source: dw
