Mexico To Open Dozens Of Migrant Shelters Exclusively To Deal With Trump's Mass Deportations

Mexican authorities are set to open over two dozen migrant shelters soon as they gear up to deal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's promise to conduct the "largest mass deportation operation in American history."

Concretely, Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda said 25 shelters will open exclusively to deal with the expected influx of deported migrants. Five of them will be set up in Tijuana and two others in Mexicali, the capital of Baja.

Each one will house up to 500 people. Some will exclusively hold single men, other women, unaccompanied minors and families.

"This is a strategic plan to accommodate exclusively people who get deported after January 20," the official said, adding that they are taking Trump's threats seriously. "We believe this time he will be stricter and tougher when it comes to deportations," Ávila Olmeda said.

"These shelters that are being planned are for those being repatriated who are coming from north to south, but no foreigners, only Mexicans, this must be made clear: Mexicans will be welcomed back to their country and their human rights will be respected."

Trump and several of his incoming officials have anticipated their willingness to begin with the operation on the first day of his administration. Karoline Leavitt, set to be the next press secretary, suggested that Title 42, a controversial policy used during his first term to expel asylum-seeking migrants, may be reinstated via executive action on his first day in office.

"He will use the power of his pen to deliver on many of the promises he made to the American people on the campaign trail to secure our southern border, to fast-track permits for fracking, for drilling, and to also take executive action to stop some of the transgender insanity that we have seen take over this country," she said. "Well, securing the southern border, perhaps looking at Title 42. Many of these executive actions are still being considered by our policy teams and also our lawyers"

Title 42 was implemented in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and justified on public health grounds, expiring in May 2023 following the end of the emergency. The policy itself resulted in significant changes to asylum procedures as migrants were expelled to Mexico or their country of origin without the ability to request asylum, bypassing the traditional process of determining whether there was credible fear that could grant them stay in the U.S.

An estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S. as of 2022, which represented about 3.3.% of the overall population, according to the Department of Homeland Security. These are noncitizens who entered the country without permission, overstayed the period of their lawful admission, or otherwise violated the terms of their admission.

This group is highly concentrated in key areas, usually ones who have provided them with protection or employment opportunities. DHS estimates that in 2022, the 10 states with the largest unauthorized immigrant populations accounted for 72% of all such migrants in the U.S. Experts warn these territories may be the ones seeing the strongest effects if mass deportations are enacted.

Among the top 10 of states with most unauthorized migrants are California and Texas, which have more than 2 million of such people. Florida, New Jersey, Illinois and New York house between 400,000 and 600,000 each. North Carolina, Georgia and Washington also number the top 10, with around 360,000 and 340,000 each. Finishing the top states is Arizona, with around 290,000 unauthorized migrants.