Mexico to Open Shelters for Deported Citizens on Trump’s Inauguration Day

Tijuana, Mexico, seen through the U.S. border wall near San Diego on May 31, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Mexico is preparing to receive its citizens who have been living in the United States illegally, with government officials planning to open new shelters to accommodate the anticipated influx of deportees.

Some 25 shelters, each capable of housing up to 500 people, will be operational nationwide by Jan. 20 when President-elect Donald Trump takes office, according to Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda.

The governor said at a Dec. 23 press conference that six of those shelters will be set up in Tijuana, the largest city in her state and just 20 miles south of San Diego, while two others will open in Mexicali, the state capital.

“We think that this time he [Trump] will be stricter and tougher when it comes to deportations, and we are working to be ready to receive our migrants,” the governor said.

The announcement follows recent discussions between Mexican Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez and the governors of Mexico’s five northern border states about strategies to handle mass deportations promised by the incoming Trump administration.

“We have already held two meetings with the Ministry of the Interior,” she told reporters. “All the governors on the northern border [of Mexico with the United States] are working on a plan in which 25 shelters will be created.”

She emphasized that the new shelters will exclusively serve the citizens of Mexico.

“These shelters are designed for repatriated people coming from north to south who are Mexican, not foreigners,” she said. “This must be made very clear—Mexicans will be welcomed back to their country. Here, we will receive them and respect their human rights.”

According to the governor, the shelters will be organized to ensure safety and order, with specific facilities designated for different groups.

“Entire families will be housed in one shelter, another will be for women traveling alone, another for single men, another for unaccompanied teenagers, and yet another for unaccompanied children,” she said.

Deportees are expected to only briefly stay in the shelters before being transported to their hometowns. Ávila noted that her state will work with Mexican federal authorities and other states for that task.

Stopping illegal immigration was a cornerstone of Trump’s presidential campaign, and he has promised to initiate “the largest mass deportation program” in the nation’s history starting on his first day back in the White House.

There aren’t many details on how the operation will be executed. Trump has suggested deploying military resources to achieve the goals.

Tom Homan, Trump’s incoming border czar and former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has said the new administration might prioritize deporting individuals who pose a threat to public safety and national security, such as those with criminal records, before moving on to others with court-issued removal orders.

Addressing the issue of families with mixed status—such as U.S.-born children with illegal immigrant parents—Homan has suggested that transitional facilities or halfway houses might be necessary.

“They can ... stay at home and wait for the officers to get the travel arrangements and come back to get the family,” he said.