MEXICO CITY — Mexico agreed Friday to expand support to other Latin American and Caribbean nations as part of a regional migratory response, days before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office with a promise to carry out mass deportations.
Mexico expands regional migrant aid to Latin America as Trump inauguration nears
Mexico agreed Friday to expand support to other Latin American and Caribbean nations as part of a regional migratory response, days before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office with a promise to carry out mass deportations.
By Associated Press
January 18, 2025 at 12:05AM
The aid was announced by Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Juan Ramón de la Fuente after a two-day closed meeting with ministers and representatives of 11 countries of the region.
The meeting – led by De la Fuente and the Honduran foreign minister in the Mexican capital – was the latest in a series of regional summits aimed at building a comprehensive regional response to the unprecedented levels of migration across the Americas. Government leaders of Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Venezuela, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador participated.
Speaking before government representatives, De la Fuente acknowledged that ''significant changes are imminent'' in the United States, the primary destination for most migrants traveling through Latin America.
He said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed that her government will expand aid projects in a number of countries working on migration and other issues, but offered few further details.
For years, Mexico has implemented such projects in over 20 countries, primarily those that serve as points of origin for migrants, including Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti. In 2024, the Mexican government allocated over $108 million to this initiative.
Friday's announcement follows a period of increasing uncertainty in Latin America, fueled by concerns among some regional leaders about the potential impact of mass deportations and other threats made by Trump ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Sheinbaum has opened the possibility of receiving non-Mexican migrants deported by the United States and said she plans to launch a mobile app that would allow migrants in the U.S. to alert relatives and the consulate when they face imminent detention.
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Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
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