By Pawel Styrna
FAIR
From the moment Donald Trump reentered the White House, it was clear that immigration, particularly in terms of Mexico as a country of transit and origin for illegal aliens, would be a focus. This focus included a declaration of a national emergency and executive actions to restore the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP, frequently referred to as “Remain in Mexico”), removing illegal aliens, and classifying the ultra-violent and dangerous cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, has signaled – however begrudgingly – that her country will simply have to accept the new state of affairs.
During a press conference on January 21, Sheinbaum – speaking in the presence of her foreign and security secretaries – stressed that “we have to behave as equals, never subordinate” but simultaneously that “[w]e have to avoid confrontations; that’s a responsibility.” She avoided attacking the Trump administration and, instead, urged Mexicans to remain “calm” and “cool-headed.” Given Mexico’s experiences with the first Trump administration, Sheinbaum also added stoically that “it’s nothing new. That’s important to recognize.”
Mexico’s president, although not particularly enthusiastic about MPP, did not object to the Trump administration reinstituting “Remain in Mexico” and stated that Mexico would, as a “humanitarian” gesture, cooperate with the repatriation of non-Mexicans (undoubtedly those whose asylum cases in the U.S. were denied) returned to its territory to their homelands. Of course, some illegal aliens have chosen to self-deport. Showing Mexico’s acceptance of the inevitable, its government has been constructing tent encampments and shelters on its side of the border. As PBS points out, “[b]eyond the tents, the Mexican government is building nine shelters in border cities to receive deportees.” Mexico City also stated that it would utilize existing shelter facilities in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, and Matamoros, which will accept migrants whose CBP One appointments were canceled on January 20. However, the shelter will also be used to help deported Mexican nationals before they are transported to their localities of origin.
Mexico will also accept Mexican illegal aliens removed from the United States as part of the new administration’s pledge of mass deportations, stating, at the same time, that they “are not alone,” and that “[t]hey are heroes and heroines of la patria.” Moreover, Sheinbaum promised financial and logistical assistance to the deported Mexican nationals. The plan to assist deported Mexicans was announced on January 20, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Known as “Mexico Embraces You,” the repatriation strategy (which involves 34 Mexican federal agencies and 16 state governments) includes transporting the repatriated migrants back to their home towns, signing them up for social welfare programs, offering assistance with finding jobs, and providing each deportee with a cash card containing $100 (the equivalent of 2,000 Mexican Pesos).
It is also worth noting that, on January 17, only days before Trump’s inauguration, Mexico announced its intention to expand aid to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean following a two-day closed meeting in Mexico City, chaired by the foreign secretary of Mexico and the foreign affairs minister of Honduras. According to the Associated Press, the leaders or representatives of Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Venezuela, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador participated. The AP reports that “Sheinbaum has confirmed that her government will expand aid projects in a number of countries working on migration and other issues but offered few further details.”
For decades, Mexico’s political elite has encouraged the mass illegal migration of its citizens to the U.S. as a socio-economic safety valve and a source of “easy” annual remittance money ($63 billion in 2023). During the second half of the Biden-Harris administration, the Mexican government admittedly did a great deal to help lower mass illegal migration numbers, thereby hoping to help an open-borders administration remain in power to allow Mexico’s dependence on illegal migration to continue. With Donald Trump’s victory – and his threats to impose tariffs on Mexico, which is overwhelmingly dependent on the U.S. economy – the Sheinbaum administration has recognized and accepted the new reality, and thus agreed to cooperate. This is great news for the U.S., but there may also be a silver lining for Mexico given that it will compel them to think outside the box and cut their dependence on mass illegal migration while simultaneously discouraging non-Mexican migrants from flooding Mexico.
