Mexican President Says Country ‘Has A Plan’ To Accept Migrants From U.S.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed Mexico’s willingness to accommodate millions of undocumented migrants expected to face deportation under the forthcoming U.S. administration.

In her daily press briefing, Sheinbaum emphasized Mexico’s readiness to step in if the United States decides against repatriating these individuals to their home countries.

“We can collaborate through different mechanisms,” she stated, though she refrained from detailing how such plans would be implemented.

“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,” she continued.

As President-elect Donald Trump’s team prepares for the commencement of mass deportations, incoming border czar Tom Homan has cautioned that many undocumented immigrants, including those previously undetected, could be swept up in the enforcement actions.

In a phone interview with the Washington Examiner, Homan outlined the Trump administration’s strategy to arrest, detain, and deport hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of undocumented individuals residing in the U.S.

Homan explained that immigrants whose sole offense was entering the country illegally would still face deportation, even if they were only living with or related to individuals with outstanding arrest warrants.

“In sanctuary cities, expect a lot of collateral arrests. I mean, not priority criminal arrests. We can’t get the bad guy in jail. That means we have to go into the communities and find them, and there may be others. We expect a lot of collateral arrests,” he noted.

“There’s over 700,000 criminal aliens with criminal convictions,” Homan added. “ICE is going to do what they’re good at.”

Trump made immigration enforcement and crime significant focal points of his 2016 presidential campaign, and these themes were heavily emphasized again in his successful 2024 run. The campaign followed nearly four years of what Trump labeled as "open borders" policies under the outgoing Biden-Harris administration.

President Joe Biden had appointed Vice President Kamala Harris as his administration’s ‘border czar.’ However, her tenure was widely criticized, with millions of individuals entering the U.S. illegally during her time in the role.

On Monday, Trump announced his intention to declare a “national emergency” to facilitate the use of “military assets” in a large-scale deportation initiative when he returns to office next year.

Responding to a post by Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “TRUE!!!” Fitton’s post quoted Trump’s pledge to carry out the deportation plan, adding that Trump intends to utilize National Guard troops for the operation.

“GOOD NEWS: Reports are the incoming @RealDonaldTrump administration prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program,” Fitton wrote.

The New York Post noted, “Trump has vowed to enact the largest deportation in history, starting when he takes the oath of office on Jan. 20. Any attempt to use active-duty troops would be subject to legal challenges, as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 limits the federal government from using the military to enforce domestic policy.”

The act, however, does not prohibit National Guard troops from performing law enforcement duties. Trump has also proposed invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to dismantle criminal gangs operating in the U.S. This law would permit the detention and removal of foreign nationals deemed a threat to national security but would require Congress to declare war.

Although Trump has not indicated whether he plans to declare war on any specific country, such as Venezuela, to justify such measures, the proposal has sparked widespread debate.