President of Mexico Has Not Agreed To Take In Non-Mexican Immigrants

According to Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, the US policy does not allow Mexico to accept non-Mexican asylum claimants.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently reinstated the contentious “Remain in Mexico” program, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her government has not consented to take in non-Mexican migrants seeking refuge in the United States.

Under the program, which is officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), asylum seekers must wait in Mexico while their claims are reviewed in the US. This can be a drawn-out procedure.

Sheinbaum told reporters that formal approval from Mexico, which has not been given, would be necessary for the implementation of such a strategy. Deported migrants of other nationalities would receive humanitarian aid from the nation, she stated, adding that procedures are in place to support individuals who choose to return to their home countries.

Trump made his way back to the White House on Monday, promising to firmly implement more stringent border and immigration controls. Reviving the MPP program, which was first introduced in 2019 during his previous term, is a move by his administration that continues its deterrent tactics against asylum requests. Human rights organizations said the initiative put vulnerable migrants, particularly families and children, in perilous conditions in organized crime-prone border camps, and it had drawn harsh criticism.

President Joe Biden terminated the MPP program in 2021, citing the unstable living circumstances it produced on the Mexican side of the border and humanitarian concerns.

During these events, President Sheinbaum emphasized the continued diplomatic communication with the United States. Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday about security and migration matters in a “very cordial” exchange. Although there are still differences between the two countries on certain policies, like as MPP, the call indicates their efforts to continue working together on delicate cross-border issues.

The Mexican government has pledged to provide temporary shelter and food to deported migrants, but Sheinbaum’s administration is hesitant to take on more duties for foreign asylum applicants. Human rights advocates are nonetheless worried about the humanitarian crisis that can occur if non-Mexican migrants are forced to stay in border areas.

One example of the ongoing complexity of US-Mexico migration rules is the reintroduction of the “Remain in Mexico” program. Mexico’s government is under increasing pressure to protect deported migrants while defending its own national interests as the Trump administration tightens its deterrent policies.

The future of migration policies on both sides of the border may depend on whether Mexico gives in to pressure from the US or sticks to its existing position against accepting non-Mexican asylum seekers.