Mexico prepares for ‘panic enforcement’ for Mexicans facing deportation under Trump

mexico city — Hardly a day goes by without Mexico’s president or one of her aides talking about some plan being put in place should President-elect Donald Trump go through with his threats of mass deportations and punitive tariffs — a testament to how vulnerable Mexico is to policy change. In Washington.

The latest launch by the administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is the “Panic Button” – an emergency mobile phone app that would enable Mexican citizens who fear arrest and deportation in the United States to alert diplomats and their relatives of their plight.

Sheinbaum also says her government has bolstered staff at more than 50 Mexican consulates in the United States and added counselors to provide legal advice to those facing possible deportation.

Trump’s comments sparked deep uncertainty among Mexican officials, business leaders on both sides of the border and millions of Mexican immigrants in the United States.

Sheinbaum, who calls Mexican immigrants “heroes,” opposes Trump’s mass deportation plan, but has been silent in her criticism of Trump himself.

Mexican citizens who may face deportation “are not alone and will not be alone,” Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente pledged last month, speaking to reporters during one of Sheinbaum’s daily morning news conferences.

According to Mexican government estimates, about 4.8 million Mexicans reside in the United States illegally, the largest number of any nationality ever. Some have lived in the North for decades, have U.S.-born children, own homes and run businesses.

Trump and his representatives did not provide any comprehensive details about how to formulate his deportation plan. Some aides talked about prioritizing arrests of undocumented immigrants with criminal records and outstanding deportation orders — long-standing goals of U.S. immigration enforcement.

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill targeting the deportation of immigrants who are in the country illegally and accused of non-violent crimes.

Some Trump surrogates have not ruled out expanded workplace raids and raids in immigrant communities.

It’s unclear whether Sheinbaum and her government have any hope that Trump’s deportation threats — a mainstay of his campaign — can be avoided. Their general position is to try to convince Trump of the importance of Mexican workers in key American industries, including agriculture, meatpacking and the hospitality sector. But Trump and his allies have shown little sympathy for this argument.

Sheinbaum told reporters that vulnerable Mexican citizens “need to know that they have rights.” “You cannot deport someone, detain them and take them to the border. There are a series of legal procedures that must be followed.”

Formal deportation cases can take months, or even years, to resolve before immigration judges.

The government says the Legal Assistance Program for Mexicans in the United States now includes more than 300 advisors across Mexico’s 53 U.S. consulates, and also receives voluntary support from advisors and law firms.

Some critics question whether the Mexican government’s preparations will be effective, or if they were supposed to be.

“The panic button, the stuff about consulates, it’s all just a smokescreen to give the impression of doing something in response to Trump,” said Irino Mujica, who heads the Pueblo Sin Frontras rights group. “Basically, they will give in to whatever Trump wants.”

Officials say the so-called panic button app, which will be fully rolled out this month, will allow citizens to alert officials at the nearest Mexican consulate — as well as pre-selected family members — about enforcement actions targeting them.

Questions remain about how the app will work, and when it will become widely available. De La Fuente said it will be easy to use and designed to be used if someone is facing “imminent detention.” Some immigration lawyers in Texas have launched a similar initiative, albeit on a smaller scale, and it has proven to be an effective tool, the secretary of state said.

“If someone is detained, regardless of their immigration status, the most important thing is to notify the consulate,” De La Fuente said. “This ensures that the consulate is informed and we can react quickly.”

According to the State Department, foreign nationals detained in the United States should be given the option to notify the nearest consulate or embassy. Immigrant advocates say detained immigrants are often not told about this option.

People in immigration proceedings may hire lawyers, but they often cannot afford the fees — or they may not be familiar with how to find one. Unlike criminal defendants, those detained for immigration violations do not have the right to court-appointed attorneys. Various studies have shown that having a lawyer significantly reduces the chances of someone being deported.

Mexican authorities are also making “intensive efforts” to encourage their U.S. citizens with U.S.-born children to register their names and the names of their children at consulates, de la Fuente said. One big fear of mass deportation is that deportations could separate children of U.S. citizens from their undocumented parents — or even lead to the deportation of minor U.S. citizens.

In Mexico, the “panic button” plan for migrants has been met with a great deal of skepticism. Some have noted that authorities in Mexico are often slow to respond to emergency calls reporting crimes or to the numerous fixed panic buttons in parks and other locations intended to summon the police.

“Will Batman and Robin come to the rescue?” one person asked on social media after the government revealed the rollout plan.

Many also remain unconvinced that Mexican consulates — which, like other parts of the Mexican government, have seen budget cuts in recent years — will provide much help in the face of mass deportations. Mexican immigrants often view consulates with suspicion, Mujica said. “They treat people like second-class citizens,” Mujica said.

Another element of Sheinbaum’s plan is to boost aid for deportees to Mexican border towns and elsewhere in Mexico. “They will be received with social programs… and all the help they need,” Sheinbaum said, but offered few details.

Skeptics point out that Mexican authorities have traditionally done little to help Mexican citizens who are daily deported or returned to Mexico – except to welcome them and offer free or discounted bus fare back to their areas of origin.

Special correspondent Cecilia Sanchez Vidal in Mexico City contributed to this report.