Private sector employers affiliated with Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council (CCE) have committed to offering around 35,000 jobs to Mexicans deported from the United States, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday.
Speaking at her morning press conference, Sheinbaum said that her government has a very good relationship with the CCE, an umbrella organization made up of 13 business groups including manufacturing, agriculture and retail associations.
“We thank them because they’re offering around 35,000 jobs for Mexicans who could be deported from the United States,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that the available jobs are in various sectors including services and manufacturing. She didn’t specify where they are located, but the CCE is a national association representing employers across the country.
The president’s announcement came three days after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history” if elected to the presidency for a second time.
The Associated Press reported that “groups of migrants began to be deported to Mexico on Tuesday night,” but large-scale deportations have not begun. Those deported this week arrived in border cities including Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez.
On Monday, Sheinbaum said that the federal government had prepared a “comprehensive program” for Mexicans deported during the second Trump administration.
The program — part of a strategy called “México te abraza,” or “Mexico embraces you” — includes welfare support for deportees, registration with the Mexican Social Security Institute and transport so that returning migrants “can reach their places of origin,” Sheinbaum said.
Around 5 million undocumented Mexicans are estimated to be living in the United States.
The federal government has sought to strengthen its consular network as it prepares to provide consular support and legal advice to those at risk of — or facing — deportation.
It also developed a “panic button” cell phone app for Mexicans in the United States who think, or know, they are about to be detained by U.S. immigration authorities. The app — called ConsulApp Contigo and available for download on Google Play — includes a panic button which, if pressed, alerts relatives and Mexican consular officials of a person’s imminent detention.
The app is only available on Android phones and the emergency button can only be used within the United States, according to Fox 26 Houston.
As part of efforts to dissuade Trump’s mass deportation plans, Sheinbaum and other federal officials have emphasized the significant contribution Mexicans make to the United States economy.
CCE: Deportations provide opportunities to ‘strengthen the national economy’
In a statement issued on Monday, the CCE “reaffirmed its commitment” to working with the Mexican government to address “migratory challenges,” including deportations.
“While this phenomenon creates significant challenges it also provides opportunities to strengthen the national economy by reintegrating Mexican returnees with decent jobs and opportunities for development,” the council said.
“Through investment in strategic sectors, the promotion of entrepreneurship and job training, the private sector is committed to collaborating with authorities to guarantee that those who return find a favorable environment for their economic and social reintegration,” the CCE said.
“This collaboration is fundamental to create stability, strengthen the social fabric and promote sustained growth in the region,” it added.
With reports from El País, El Universal and El Financiero
