Mexico Already Preparing Tent Camps For Migrants as Trump Set To Move Forward with Mass Deportations

Among the steps Mexico is taking to prepare for the impact of President Donald Trump's mass deportations are tent camps for migrant featuring attention centers along its northern border. Components for the first of nine centers arrived on Tuesday at El Punto in north Juarez, a location near the Rio Grande. This center, expected to be operational by the end of the week, will provide essential services such as food, medical checkups, temporary lodging, and a $98 debit card to help deported Mexican nationals return to their home states, as informed by the Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez.

Other centers are planned for Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros, among other border cities, according to Border Report. The initiative comes as Trump is set to enforce his promises of large-scale deportations and reintroduce the "Remain in Mexico" policy. Although Mexico's government has not agreed to this policy, President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico will assist migrants caught in this situation for humanitarian reasons.

"We have our own migration policies, but we also are a humanitarian government," Sheinbaum said during a YouTube broadcast. "If there is a person on the border—more so now that it is cold—obviously we will act with humanity." The government's plan, called Mexico te Abraza (Mexico embraces you), prioritizes the well-being of migrants stranded at the border and aims to help them return to their communities, particularly Mexican nationals.

"First, the Mexican people should be certain we will always defend our sovereignty and independence. Second, we will always support Mexicans in the United States, our paisanos," Sheinbaum said.

The Juarez center will have the capacity to temporarily accommodate 2,500 people, focusing mainly on deported Mexicans, who will receive assistance to return home. The Mexican government is also sending 189 buses to the border to transport migrants within the country.

Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said that Mexico is well-prepared to handle the deportation of thousands of Mexicans, given that migratory flows have been significantly lower than in previous years. He added that Mexico will continue to offer legal support to its citizens in the U.S. through its consulates, which have trained staff to assist immigrants with legal matters.

Despite the preparations, reports indicate that deportations have already begun, with a group of migrants arriving in Juarez earlier this week, according to the Border Report. Although Mexican immigration officials did not permit interviews with the deported individuals, the day's deportations were described as part of a regular process at the border.

The Trump administration has already revoked decade-long protections that barred immigration enforcement in schools, hospitals, churches, and other designated "sensitive areas", marking a major shift in U.S. immigration policy. Raids are expected to begin immediately.

The policy change, announced Tuesday, removes guidelines introduced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2011 and later adopted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in 2013. The measures were aimed at ensuring that enforcement actions did not discourage undocumented individuals from accessing essential services.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and CBP, defended the directive, which reinstates nationwide expedited removal, enabling ICE to deport undocumented individuals who cannot prove two years of continuous residency in the U.S. without a court hearing. Human rights advocates criticized the policy changes, warning of severe repercussions for immigrant communities.

In anticipation of the expected ICE raids, experts and advocates took to X to provide some advice, and potential steps, to undocumented migrants who may be targeted in the mass deportation efforts over the next four years.

Scott Hechinger, a civil rights attorney and the founder of Zealous, a nonprofit organization that trains public defendants and activists to use media to shape criminal justice policy, posted a thread on X with a list of resources. "If ICE is outside your door, don't panic and remember: you have rights. Don't open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can't enter without one," one of Hechinger's posts read.