Mexico City, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that Mexico has accepted non-Mexican migrants from the United States in the past week, with the possibility of Central American nations also entering into similar agreements with the U.S. to receive deportees from other countries.
This shift in stance by the leftist leader marks a departure from Mexico's previous reluctance to accept migrants from foreign nations. Sheinbaum divulged during her daily morning press conference that Mexico has taken in over 4,000 migrants from the U.S., with a "large majority" being Mexican nationals.
Sheinbaum highlighted that there has not been a significant surge in deportees received by Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump took office last week. The President did not specifically clarify if the migrants accepted thus far were deportees or part of the "Remain in Mexico" program enforced by the Trump administration, which involves sending non-Mexican migrants back to Mexico while their U.S. processing is pending.
Additionally, Sheinbaum relayed that there are ongoing discussions between the U.S. and Central American countries regarding migration, hinting at the possibility of these nations also accepting migrants from other regions. She noted that some countries, citing Guatemala as an example, have provisions in their constitutions requiring them to accept Central American migrants.
Furthermore, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez did not dismiss the idea of Guatemala becoming a "safe third country" to accommodate migrants of different nationalities. This prospect aligns with previous agreements made during Trump's administration, including Mexico agreeing to receive up to 30,000 migrants monthly from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela during former President Joe Biden's tenure.
Sheinbaum revealed that the deportations from the U.S. to Mexico have included individuals transported on four civil aircraft flights. Concerns about such deportation flights have emerged, with Brazil accusing the U.S. of mistreating deportees and Colombia facing tensions with the U.S. due to President Petro's initial rejection of U.S. military deportation flights, which he later accepted after discussions.
Highlighting the ongoing dialogue between Mexico and the U.S. on immigration matters, Sheinbaum expressed optimism about potential future agreements between the two countries in the near future.