As the US plans to deport undocumented immigrants to Mexico, there are concerns that those who fled because of organised crime gangs will be thrust into danger on their return
The Mexican government is preparing to welcome Mexican nationals who will be removed from the US amid the latest threats of mass deportation and executive changes to immigration laws and policies enacted by the United States during the first week of Donald Trump’s administration.
Eleven emergency shelters are planned to be built in six states along the northern border of the country. The shelters will provide temporary accommodation for three to four days.
The shelters will comprise three separate areas: one for men; one for women, children and teenagers; and one for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Showers, blankets, towels, clothing and meals throughout the day are guaranteed. The priority will be keeping people warm.
As part of health services, all returnees will receive personal medical consultations, vaccinations, transmissible disease testing and preparation of official medical files.
In Ciudad Juárez, the emergency encampment, which will hold 5,000 people and is set to be completed in record time, is not yet open to the public because of delays in service implementation and the low number of arrivals. The city reports it has not received an unusual number of deportees yet.
“We [the Juárez government] will welcome everyone because they are Mexicans and this is their country. Even if a Mexican man or woman did not leave due to violence, but decides to stay here, they are welcome. This is their land,” Cruz Pérez Cuéllar, mayor of Ciudad Juárez, told The i Paper.
There will be specialist help on hand for women who fled due to gender violence.
A group of about 25 people from Catholic congregations from Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, US, gathered at the shelter construction site in a prayer meet dedicated to the migrants.
“We consider that these types of tents will not reach capacity, and if they do, they [deportees] will not be given adequate attention,” said María Antonia Aranda, missionary of the Catholic group The Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“[The idea of] being humane is what we want to transmit to society. To be aware that they [deportees] come looking for a dignified life within a country that they do not know … Many of them have not lived in … Mexico, and they come with a very different language,” said Aranda.
The repatriation strategy has been created for Mexican citizens currently living in the US without proper documentation.
“Mexico’s reaction [to the mass deportation threats from the US] has been … normal in the sense that it’s a reaction to elements that were initially raised as part of the (political) speech,” said Dr Rodolfo Rubio, immigration researcher at the College of Chihuahua. “Several of those threats involve mass deportation. Until we see real numbers, the truth is that nothing extraordinary is happening. But now, it is being observed and monitored more because there is a threat, a new situation that makes eyes turn to what is happening.”
So far Mexico has not seen a substantial increase in deportation arrivals. From 20 to 26 January, 4,094 people were received, with the vast majority being Mexican nationals.
“’Mexico Embraces You’ is a programme that … always welcomes Mexicans with open arms,” said Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo during the presidential daily press conference on 27 January.
While the initiative aims to welcome Mexican deportees, the government stated deportees from other countries will also be welcomed and given humanitarian assistance for a short while before decisions are made about returning them to their countries of origin.
In a partnership with the private sector, 30,000 job opportunities will be created for them. Returning Mexican nationals will also receive a monthly payment of 2,000 Mexican pesos.
Tens of thousands of Mexicans who fled the country after being targeted by organised crime gangs, could return as part of Trump’s deportation plans – and may be in danger upon their arrival in Mexico.
“Seventy-five to 80 per cent of Mexicans who live in the US left the country due to the violence, insecurity and organised crime,” said Rubio.
Escaping conflict and persecution are major factors driving displacement and migration patterns around the world, and these elements must be considered with reintegration efforts.
“They are Mexicans and have the right to migrate wherever they please,” Rubio said.