She will insist that the U.S. deport migrants to their countries of origin rather than expelling them to Mexican territory.
Jan 21, 2025
On Tuesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that Mexico will not act as a “third safe country” for the reception of non-Mexican migrants deported from the United States.
Her remarks came in response to a new executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump that reinstates the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program. Under the MPP, the Trump administration will send migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to Mexico, where they are required to process their asylum applications and wait while U.S. authorities review their cases.
In response, Sheinbaum said that Mexico maintains a humanitarian migration policy and will seek the repatriation of these people to their countries of origin. She also emphasized that Trump’s executive order is a U.S. policy decision that does not inherently mean Mexico has agreed to become a third safe country.
The Mexican leader urged a calm and rational analysis of the executive order’s implications, particularly its designation of the U.S. southern border as a national emergency zone. She noted that this measure is not new, as Trump had implemented the program during his first administration in 2019. Sheinbaum affirmed that her government would respond “humanely” to migrants arriving at Mexico’s border with the U.S.
“What do we do? We have our own migration policy, but we are also a humanitarian government. If someone is at the border, especially now with the cold weather, we will obviously act humanely. We will not leave people exposed to the elements,” she explained.
President Trump is instructing officials to start construction of the border wall along the southern border.
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Sheinbaum reiterated that her government is prepared for mass deportations, which would particularly affect Mexico, the country of origin for nearly half of the 11 million undocumented migrants in the U.S. Remittances from these migrants account for nearly 4% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Mexico will insist that the U.S. deport migrants directly to their countries of origin instead of expelling all of them into Mexican territory, said Sheinbaum, who also defended Mexico’s migration strategy, highlighting a 78% reduction in daily arrests of migrants at the U.S. border since December 2023.
“Far fewer migrants are arriving at the northern border compared to before. This is happening thanks to the comprehensive humanitarian policy we have implemented to prevent people from reaching the U.S. border,” she said.
In international law, the term “Third Safe Country” refers to an agreement between countries to manage asylum claims. It involves the concept that a person seeking asylum can be sent to a third country—designated as “safe”—where they will be able to apply for asylum or receive adequate protection.
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