In the face of threats of mass deportations by President-elect Donald Trump, Mexico is establishing a humanitarian belt to work to prevent the chaos that may arise. Internet image
Article by Paco Baca
Mexico is preparing for uncertainty. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportation of migrants has caused alarm in the north of the country, which is likely to be the region hardest hit by the controversial expulsions. The last month has been a media back-and-forth, a kind of tennis match between the Republican tycoon and the Mexican leader, Claudia Sheinbaum, with the possibility of a trade war on the horizon. The first woman to occupy the National Palace has sought to present herself publicly as a strong negotiator, while in private, she has already begun to alert the governors of the border states.
The border has become a battlefield. During a meeting of the National Security Council in Acapulco with the 32 governors of Mexico, Sheinbaum took the opportunity to warn the representatives of the northern states in private. «A deportation strategy was not specifically discussed, but the need to be prepared in case they begin in February was discussed,» admitted Samuel García, governor of Nuevo León. «The northern states must be ready in a first stage to transfer migrants to their places of origin,» added Esteban Villegas, governor of Durango, a region that does not border the United States but is adjacent to Chihuahua and Coahuila, transit areas.
All eyes are on the north, on the scene of a complex chess game between the two North American powers. An extensive border of more than 3,000 kilometers joins Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas in Mexico with California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in the United States. On the streets, there is a border fortified by the administration of US President Joe Biden, while thousands of people daily look for an opportunity to cross the barrier.
Despite friendly gestures toward Mexico, tension is rising at the border. Republican U.S. states, with Texas at the forefront even proposing a ranch on the Rio Grande to carry out deportations, are eagerly awaiting the next president’s plans in regions with strong anti-immigrant sentiment. Far-right militias are also preparing. However, it would not be the first time that Trump has reneged on his promises, such as the Mexican-funded border wall.
Trump’s plan for the ‘largest deportation’ in American history
No one really knows how Trump will carry out his threats, which seem virtually impossible in terms of infrastructure and resources. The government mentions that there are 11 million undocumented people in the United States, while Trump claims that there are 20 million. According to estimates by several think-tanks, deporting that many people would cost $481 billion. In 2024, the agency in charge of deportations and Customs and Border Protection had a joint budget of almost 30,000 million. The Republican has not revealed how he will get the remaining $451 billion.
Sheinbaum has adjusted her strategy after the latest provocation by Trump, who proposed in an interview with NBC the annexation of Mexico as a U.S. territory. This Monday, the president closed the public debate she had with the intermediary press. «He has his communication style…», he insinuated in defense. The attrition campaign continues, but now the Mexican company seeks to transfer it to the offices. Privately, such as the warning he communicated this Tuesday to the governors of the north. The future is uncertain, but the border is getting ready.