The Trump administration recently sent a notice to Congress stating that it intends to use $20 million from foreign assistance funds to help Mexico pay for the deportation of as many as 17,000 undocumented immigrants. Under this program, Mexican authorities would detain undocumented immigrants present in Mexico, provide judicial process and potentially deport them, in compliance with Mexican and international law. U.S. funds would only pay for commercial airline tickets or charter flights and ground transportation.
According to the administration, this would take strain off the U.S. immigration system. This program would increase deportations of Central Americans traveling through Mexico on route to the U.S. Other unauthorized immigrants or known or suspected terrorists in Mexico would also be deported. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this plan is intended to relieve immigration flows at the U.S. border with Mexico. The aim is to reduce the number of immigrants crossing the southwestern border by assisting the Mexican government in addressing and deterring illegal immigration. The hope is that substantial numbers of immigrants would be stopped in Mexico before they are able to reach the U.S. DHS cites a 38% percent increase in family apprehension at the Southern border as a concern of the department.
Last year, Congress allocated $3 billion to foreign aid. The Trump administration will direct funds from this allocation from the State Department to DHS. DHS will then send funds to Mexico. The notice states that this would be a “one-time infusion” of assistance to help the Mexican government.
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