Mexico's preparations for a border shutdown: Following President Donald Trump's campaign trail announcement that he would launch the largest deportation effort in American history, the Mexican government under President Claudia Sheinbaum started readying itself to serve as an oppositional force to Trump. The program that resulted—"Mexico Embraces You"—aims to shelter deported Mexicans, some 5 million of whom are estimated to be living in the United States illegally and thus at risk of being sent back.
With the shutdown of the CBP One app, which helped asylum seekers schedule appointments with American immigration officials, and the mass canceling of appointments, many migrants have become mired in what must feel like purgatory; a sense that their future plans are indefinitely put on hold, contingent on the whims of the Trump administration. But for those already in the country without papers, rumors have also begun to circulate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) roundups will begin. Accordingly, Mexico has started constructing giant tent shelters in nine border towns across the country's north, which will "provide deported Mexicans with food, temporary housing, medical care, and assistance in obtaining identity documents" (per Reuters), as well as the opportunity to board buses to be sent back to their hometowns, free of charge. The program also seeks to provide citizens with cash cards worth about $100 each.
A little under 4 percent of Mexico's population is living undocumented in the U.S.; if sent back, this could present major problems for the Mexican government. "Basically, with the cancellation of CBP One and deportations, the government isn't coordinated to receive them," Jose Luis Perez, the director of migration issues for Tijuana, told reporters (before being fired from his position seemingly for casting doubt).
