This Monday, the tycoon donald trump returns to the presidency of the United States for the second time. Since his first administration (2017-2021) he has been noted for his clear anti-immigrant stance and agenda. Among his main campaign promises – and in his public speeches – he has highlighted the mass deportation of migrants and the elimination of temporary protection programs, which has generated fear and uncertainty among people who are in that country ‘irregularly’.
During his campaign, Trump reiterated his intention to expel millions of people in an irregular situation and dismantle programs such as the Temporary Protection Statute (TPS) and humanitarian parole, which currently benefit more than 1.5 million migrants.
Since his first administration, Trump promoted self-deportationa phenomenon that consists of making living conditions in the United States so adverse for migrants that they decide to leave voluntarily. Under this approach, the government achieves its immigration objectives without incurring significant expenses nor implement direct actions.
Faced with this scenario, several border cities have been preparing, for months, for a possible mass deportation. Their shelter networks work under pressure and with all its economic and infrastructure capabilities, which are limited.
Local authorities in Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas fear that facilities that offer refuge to migrants are not enough to cover the demand that these possible deportations would bring, which is why they have requested help from the federal government to cope with the situation.
Since last Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum met with her cabinet to coordinate logistical and legal actions that will be carried out on the northern border. Then, the president asked the governors of the entities in the north of the country, as well as consuls in the neighboring country, to redouble their efforts on behalf of Mexicans who could be deported.
For his part, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, declared that: “we are prepared to serve our compatriots regardless of their immigration status and where they are,” from the border of Sonora.
The town hall of Tijuana, in Baja Californiaissued a emergency declaration in the face of possible deportations, so the authorities agreed to make budgetary movements to create a special item in order to meet the needs of the migrant community and prevent a possible contingency. This budget would be allocated to property rentals, legal and administrative services, contracting of services and adaptation of infrastructure. The city has a series of 44 hostels.
In Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahuashelters are also preparing to open as many facilities as possible to receive people on the move. In this city there are 35 shelters. One of the best known is “La casa del Migrante”, which has a capacity for 560 people. However, the shelter has sheltered up to 1,500 people, according to the shelter’s director, Francisco Bueno Guillén.
During the first week of the year, the government of Tamaulipas announced that it is working together with the federal government to expand the shelter network. The government secretary of this entity, Héctor Villegas González, explained that currently there are nine shelters in three border citieswith capacity to receive 5 thousand people. However, new spaces are being prepared to house another 7,500 migrants, according to Villegas González.
It should be noted that economic and infrastructure limitations will not only affect the Mexican border, but the US side as well. you will face legal and economic problems to execute their deportation policies and plans. Recently, the former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement – and the person in charge of carrying out the deportation plans – Tom Homan, urged Republican legislators to “moderate your expectations” as there is a limited budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to official figures and public information presented by the current US administration, the available budget could cover the immediate deportation between one and two million people.
At the initiative of presidents Claudia Sheinbaum and Xiomara Castro (Honduras), the meeting on Human Mobility on the Northern Route of the Continentin which representatives of the governments of Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Venezuela and Honduras were present.
This meeting, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), aimed to reach common agreements in the region in which related countries work as a single front on the migration issue.
“Given the changes that are coming in one of the main destination countries for migration in the hemisphere, the nations of the region have to be prepared to face the new challenges and do so together, adhered to international law, for the benefit of our peoples“, detailed the SRE in a statement.
Government representatives committed to joining efforts to manage the migration phenomenon more effectively.
