Mexico's Plan To Receive Deported Migrants Includes Giving Them Cash Cards With $100

Mexico is gearing up to receive scores of nationals set to be deported by the Donald Trump administration. The government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum is already implementing a plan called "Mexico Embraces You," which, among other things, provides returnees with cash cards worth about $100.

The initiative also includes busing people to their hometowns, medical attention, and enrolling returnees in social welfare programs. The effort spans across the government, with 34 federal agencies and 16 state governments involved.

Officials are also negotiating agreements with Mexican people to make it easier for deportees to find jobs in Mexico. "Repatriation is an opportunity to return home and be reunited with family," said Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez.

The Sheinbaum administration is setting up nine tent camps across the border. They will be located in El Punto, Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros, among other border cities, according to Border Report.

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.

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.

The government's plan is focused on Mexican deportees, but authorities said they could temporarily receive people from third countries. "There will be time to speak with the United States government if these deportations really happen, but we will receive them here, we are going to receive them properly and we have a plan," Sheinbaum said in early January.

Initial actions on the U.S. side of the border suggest the Mexican government will be pushed into that situation. CBS News detailed instructions by the Trump administration for border agents to swiftly deport migrants detained between ports of entry without allowing them to request asylum. Trump is citing a provision of immigration law known as 212 (f) that allows him to suspend entries considered "detrimental" to the country.

Officials said migrants won't be allowed to see immigration judges or asylum officers under the edict, which suspends U.S. obligations under domestic and international law seeking to protect people fleeing persecution. Migrants are being deported after having their biometrics and fingerprints taken. Those who are not from Mexico are detained pending their deportation, while those with criminal histories are subject to prosecution.

The Trump administration is also considering the deployment of as many as 10,000 troops to the border. Trump's executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border includes directing the Department of Defense (DoD) to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in taking full operational control of the border, including building barriers to block migrants and assisting CBP with its mission.