Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that over 4,000 immigrants have been deported into Mexican territory since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s administration on January 20.
“From January 20 to 26, 4,094 people have arrived, the vast majority of them Mexican men and women,” Sheinbaum said during her press briefing.
Mexico represents the largest demographic of Hispanic immigrants living in the US, accounting for 60% of the Hispanic population, according to the Pew Research Center.
Trump’s strict measures to expel immigrants have raised concerns in Mexico. In his first week in office, Trump repealed legal pathways for immigrants to enter the US, such as CBP One, while deploying 1,500 military troops to secure the border.
However, Sheinbaum noted that the first week of Trump’s administration showed no increase in deportations of Mexican nationals compared to previous years.
“Something very important is that this is not new… Mexico has a significant history of repatriation and relations with the United States. Past presidents have dealt with it, and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador also did, first with the Trump administration and then with the Biden administration,” she said.
The Sheinbaum administration has implemented the “Mexico Embraces You” contingency plan to support deported Mexican immigrants, providing financial aid and employment opportunities.
On January 26, Sheinbaum praised Mexican workers in the US, calling them the driving force behind the US economy. “Mexicans there sustain the economy of the United States, in agriculture, services, everywhere. The United States wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for a hardworking people who go there,” she said.
Meanwhile, to the south of Mexico, a new caravan has left Tapachula, Chiapas, with 2,000 asylum seekers, mostly from Venezuela and Cuba, seeking to enter North America.
