An app is in development in Mexico to assist migrants in the U.S. who face deportation. It will enable them to inform their family members and local U.S. consulates if they are at risk of being detained by authorities, a senior official revealed on Friday. The government aims to guarantee that every Mexican citizen receives fair treatment in the U.S. prior to any potential expulsion from the country.
The app, named “Alert Button,” is being created in anticipation of the anticipated surge in deportations of illegal migrants once President-elect Trump assumes office on Jan. 20. A key focus of Trump’s upcoming term is to enhance border security and implement the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
Many Mexican nationals residing in the U.S. unlawfully are expected to be particularly impacted by the policies of the incoming Trump administration. The Mexican government approximates that there are 11.5 million migrants holding some form of legal status in the United States, along with 4.8 million individuals lacking legal status or proper documentation.
Migrants near the Rio Grande along the US-Mexico border in Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Dec. 18, 2024, left. A migrant checks his phone, right. (David Peinado/Bloomberg, left, Luis Boza/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images, right.)
“We want to tell our fellow countrymen that they are not alone and they will not be alone,” he said, reiterating that there is a consular network that is up to the task.
The foreign minister said that in order to deport someone from the U.S. a court order or removal ruling is needed and that his consular team will be “very vigilant in ensuring that due process is followed.”
Trump has already clashed with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum over immigration and proposed 25% tariff on imported goods from Mexico over the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs. Sheinbaum said that such a move could lead to a trade war between the countries and insisted her government has already been clamping down on migrants crossing into the U.S.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addresses supporters in Mexico City on Oct. 1. She has clashed with President-elect Trump on immigration. (AP/Fernando Llano)
The U.S. recorded an unprecedented number of illegal migrants flowing across its borders under the Biden-Harris administration. The number of illegal immigrants on ICE’s non-detained docket exploded to nearly 7.7 million, more than double what it was when Trump left office. It was at 3.2 million at the end of FY 2020.
The annual ICE report released in October shows that ICE deported 271,484 illegal immigrants to 192 different countries in fiscal year 2024. Of those, 32.7% had criminal histories and 237 were known or suspected terrorists.
It’s a significant increase from more than 142,000 deported in FY 23, and around 72,000 in FY 2022. In FY 2020, the last year of the Trump administration and which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, there were around 185,000 deportations and in FY 2019 there were 267,000 deportations.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
