Mexico City, Mexico – As Donald Trump officially returns for a second nonconsecutive term as president, the United States’ leading trading partner and southern neighbor prepares for the next four years of Mexican-American relations.
During her morning briefing on January 20, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed Trump’s inauguration and the anticipated wave of policies aimed toward the shared border between Mexico and the U.S.
“Our goal is, once he takes office, to get in touch with his team, with whom there has already been some informal communication, since they haven’t taken office yet. Once they take office, we will reach out, and we know that there will be an agreement on the various matters,” said Sheinbaum.
Given that Mexico is both the leading nationality of immigrants in the U.S. as well as a transit country for other nationalities reaching the U.S., Trump’s anti-immigration program and mass deportations will impact Mexico on two different fronts: attending to deported Mexican nationals and the thousands of migrants that hail from other countries.
Regarding Mexican nationals, the government says it has worked for months now on building a Trump contingency plan.
Through its Foreign Ministry, Mexico has established a consular network of 53 offices across the U.S. – the only of its kind – according to Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente. The network is instructed to assist Mexican nationals who might be threatened by the U.S. administration.
According to the minister, 4,383 people, including legal workers, have been hired to help Mexican nationals know their rights in the U.S. Mexico has also launched a cellphone app known as ConsulApp, where Mexicans can share questions and denounce any violation of their rights.
Moreover, the Sheinbaum administration unveiled “Mexico te abraza” (Mexico embraces you), a program designed to economically and legally assist Mexican nationals deported by U.S. authorities.
Recipients can receive direct monetary support through Mexico’s social programs such as a 2,000 pesos fund (nearly USD $100) they can access immediately through the “tarjeta bienestar paisano” and enroll in Mexican public healthcare.
Moreover, Foreign Minister de la Fuente addressed the possible return of the Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly dubbed as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, a measure imposed by Trump in his first term as president in which migrants seeking asylum are ordered to remain on the Mexican side of the border until their applications are processed and resolved.
“It’s a unilateral decision,” said De la Fuente. “President López Obrador disagreed. And if they implement it again, the instruction that the President has given us, of course, is to emphasize that this is a unilateral decision made by them.”
