Mexico is considering the option of accepting non-Mexican migrants who have been deported by the United States. Initially, they had planned to urge President-elect Donald Trump to send migrants of other nationalities directly back to their respective countries.
During her daily press briefing, President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned that if the US decides not to return migrants to their countries, there are various ways in which collaboration can take place.
Mexico’s plan to limit certain nationalities or request compensation from the US to repatriate deportees to their home countries was not elaborated on.
Mexico’s Mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, expressed readiness to receive deportees from the United States, stating, “We will receive them here, we are going to receive them properly, and we have a plan.” Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico is not in favor of these deportations but is prepared to address the situation.
President Trump has made a commitment to initiate extensive deportations. However, experts have pointed out that there will be practical obstacles in scaling up from the already substantial deportation figures.
Non-Mexican migrants would become easy targets for kidnapping and extortion in northern Mexico’s border cities, which already face challenges with organized crime. The impact of the deportations would be felt immediately in these areas.
During Trump’s first term, the United States implemented a policy that required thousands of individuals seeking asylum to remain in Mexico while their cases were being processed. Additionally, many migrants who crossed into the US were sent back to Mexico due to a public health provision established during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December, Sheinbaum expressed her intention to request that Trump directly deport non-Mexicans to their respective home countries.
Mexico, like any other country, is not required to accept migrants who are not from Mexico. However, in the recent past, Mexico has voluntarily chosen to accept migrants from countries such as Cuba and Venezuela. These countries sometimes reject deportation flights from the United States, but they may be willing to accept them from Mexico.
In December 2023, Mexico temporarily halted deportations because of financial constraints. Furthermore, deportations were significantly reduced in 2024 as compared to the previous years of 2023 and 2022.
Mexico is seeking to host a meeting of the foreign ministers from the region this month in order to address the issue of immigration.