Mexico: New plan to help citizens in US after Trump win

Foreign ministry announces new services, including consular support, passport processing and 24-hour legal advice.

Mexico
Aside from Mexico, many of the migrants bound for the US hail from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador [Al Jazeera]

Authorities in Mexico have unveiled new measures to provide support to Mexican citizens living in the United States, including phone hotlines, following Donald Trump’s win in last week’s US presidential election.

Trump, who has promised to build a wall along the US-Mexican border, with Mexico paying for it, has also vowed to crack down on undocumented immigrants in the country.

Acting to help Mexicans avoid “abuses and fraud” in the US, Mexico’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it will expand the availability of mobile consulate services to reach more migrants in their communities.

It will also establish a 24-hour telephone line for questions about immigration, and provide more appointments for migrants to get passports, birth certificates and consular identification cards.

READ MORE: Mexico braced for Trump’s deportation policy

The ministry said Mexico will “strengthen dialogue” with state and local authorities in the US to protect its citizens, adding that migrants in the US should “avoid any conflict situation” and stay out of trouble with the law.

The news comes as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador agreed to join forces and seek support from Mexico to forge a joint strategy in response to Trump, El Salvador’s foreign minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

Aside from Mexico, many of the Latin America migrants bound for the US hail from the poor nations of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Mexico's foreign ministry has said the country will 'strengthen dialogue' with state and local authorities in the US to protect its citizens [Reuters]
Mexico’s foreign ministry has said the country will ‘strengthen dialogue’ with state and local authorities in the US to protect its citizens [Reuters]

On Wednesday, the day after a regional meeting in Honduras, the three countries released a joint statement asking their respective foreign ministries to team up and formulate positions on jobs, investment and migration to deal with the new US administration together – though the statement did not refer to Mexico.

Undocumented migrants fear deportation under Trump

The first meeting between the Central American foreign ministers will take place on Thursday in San Salvador, sources said, adding that there is no date yet for when Mexico might join.

Threat of deportation

Trump, who takes office on January 20, said in an interview with the CBS programme “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday that his administration would focus on deporting immigrants with criminal records.

The president-elect said during the campaign he would deport the estimated 11 million immigrants in the US illegally.

Before the vote, Trump also accused Mexico of sending rapists and drug runners into the US and threatened to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico.

Trump’s surprise victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton has shaken Mexico, pushing the beleaguered peso to record lows and forcing the government into crisis mode as it seeks to protect bilateral trade.

Source: News Agencies