MEXICO CITY — Mexico will not object to President Trump's plan to force asylum seekers detained on the southwest border to wait in Mexico until their cases are heard in U.S. immigration courts, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday.
Sheinbam did not support Trump's controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy, but said that as a “humanitarian” gesture, Mexico would accept repatriated asylum seekers without citizenship and work for their return to their home countries in Central America and elsewhere.
Sheinbaum's comments at her daily news conference were her first on Trump's lightning-fast executive orders on the day she took office, including several that directly affected Mexico and others that overhauled U.S. immigration and border policies.
Sheinbaum, a leftist who took office in October, struck a conciliatory tone and did not directly criticize Trump. She said that while Mexico must protect its sovereignty, its people must remain “calm” and “sober.”
“We must avoid confrontation; This is a responsibility,” said Sheinbaum, who was accompanied at the press conference by her foreign and security ministers. “At the same time, we must behave as equals and never subordinate ourselves. Defend our sovereignty, our independence and defend the Mexicans.”
Responding to Trump's executive orders on a variety of contentious issues, from immigration to security to tariffs, she noted that several of his initiatives reflected the policies of his first administration – including remaining in Mexico and declaring a new “national emergency.” the USA. along the southwestern border.
“This is nothing new,” Sheinbaum said, adding that this familiarity would ease Mexico’s response. “That’s important to recognize.”
Mexican citizens in the United States facing forced expulsion under Trump's announced mass deportation plans would be provided legal and other assistance – and would receive financial, logistical and other assistance if returned to Mexico, Sheinbaum promised.
Mexicans in the north should know that they “are not alone,” the president said. “They are heroes and heroines of the homeland” she said. “That’s how we’re going to treat them.”
The millions of Mexicans who live in the United States are also pillars of the Mexican economy, sending home more than $60 billion annually to relatives and others. Large-scale deportations could be a major blow to Mexico's already fragile economy.
But the president reiterated hope — which some analysts say is illusory — that immigrant donations would dampen Trump's deportation plan. “Mexicans in the United States contribute a large portion of the (U.S.) economy,” Sheinbaum said.
Among Trump's most provocative actions was an executive order that said the U.S. would designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. But Sheinbaum downplayed widespread fears in Mexico that the decree could lead to unilateral U.S. military action.
Sheinbaum said officials in the new administration should work with Mexico on binational security concerns. “They can and should operate on their territory,” she said, noting that organized crime also operates in the United States. “They in their territory, we in our territory.”
“We all want to fight drug cartels, that’s clear,” Sheinbaum said. “We need to coordinate our efforts and work together.”
Sheinbaum was also cautious about the 25 percent tariffs that Trump wanted to impose on Mexican imports if the country fails to stop drug and migrant trafficking to the United States.
Her administration, Sheinbaum said, will begin a “dialogue” on the matter with Trump, who has set Feb. 1 as the likely target date for imposing the tariffs. She made no mention of previous statements that Mexico would be forced to impose retaliatory tariffs if Trump took action.
“It's very important that everyone, the media, the people of Mexico, the business leaders – everyone – stay calm and united,” Sheinbaum said. “Evaluate step by step without surpassing yourself.”
Mexico's export-oriented economy is closely linked to the United States, where more than 80% of the country's exports go.
On the immigration front, Sheinbaum reiterated how Mexican enforcement has helped reduce illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border to its lowest level in years. Mexico reported a record 1 million detentions of illegal immigrants last year, with most migrants sent back to southern Mexico.
“No caravan has arrived,” Sheinbaum boasted, referring to organized groups of migrants who set off from southern Mexico toward U.S. territory, only to be thwarted by Mexican authorities.
During his first term, Trump introduced Remain in Mexico as a way to deter illegal immigration, ultimately forcing more than 60,000 people – mostly Central Americans and Cubans – to wait for U.S. court hearings on the Mexican side. Many asylum seekers returned to Mexico fell victim to kidnapping, extortion and other abuses by organized crime groups.
Mexico, which is not legally required to take back non-citizens, agreed to the take-back under extreme pressure from Trump's first administration.
This time, it seems, there is no need for a US rethink. Mexico will cooperate, Sheinbaum said, but will seek financial support from the United States to cover the costs of repatriating third-country nationals.
She had a brief moment to talk about Trump's orders. While a Spanish-language version of Trump's executive order “RESTORING NAMES THAT HONOR AMERICAN GREATNESS” was projected on the wall, it referenced Trump's announcement to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
Sheinbaum laughed. “He can call it whatever he wants,” she said.
“For us, it will continue to be the Gulf of Mexico,” the president said. “And for the whole world, it will continue to be the Gulf of Mexico.”
Special correspondent Cecilia Sanchez Vidal contributed to this report.