Mexico is seeking to reach an agreement with the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in which Mexico would refuse to accept migrants from third countries in the event of large-scale deportations, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday.
Trump has pledged mass deportations of migrants living illegally in the United States, with Vice President-elect JD Vance vowing to deport 1 million people annually.
In recent years, Mexico has played a key role in U.S. immigration policy, accepting migrants from countries like Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who have been deported by the U.S. Diplomatic complexities between the U.S. and some of these countries have made direct deportations of migrants from these nations challenging.
“We hope to reach an agreement with the Trump administration so that, in the event of these mass deportations, they can send people from other countries directly to their countries of origin,” President Sheinbaum said during a press conference.
The President added that Mexico stands “in solidarity with everyone, but our primary goal is to prioritize Mexican citizens.”
