Fact check: Does Mexico’s president really plan to deport US citizens?

President Claudia Sheinbaum said in November that if United States President Donald Trump were to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican exports, her government would put a retaliatory tariff on U.S. exports to Mexico.

The president, however, HAS NOT said that her government is planning to respond to deportations of Mexicans from the United States by deporting U.S. citizens from Mexico.

Despite that, various posts circulating on social media sites such as Facebook claim that Sheinbaum has indicated that her government will consider deporting U.S. citizens in retaliation for the deportation of Mexicans from the United States, where Trump has said he intends to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history.”

Let’s take a look at the claims, and the facts.

CLAIMS:

One Facebook post claimed that Sheinbaum “warned that her government could take drastic measures against U.S. immigrants residing in the country irregularly.”

The post quoted Sheinbaum as saying: “If Donald Trump continues to implement racist and anti-immigrant policies against Mexicans in the United States, we can also act. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.”

The post said that “the president indicated that her government is evaluating a plan to deport U.S. citizens living in Mexico without paying taxes or without complying with local immigration laws.”

It also said that “currently, more than one million Americans reside in Mexico, many of them retirees living in communities such as San Miguel de Allende, Chapala and the Riviera Maya.”

“According to Sheinbaum,” the post added, “many of these residents do not contribute tax to the country and abuse the privileges Mexico offers them, such as a lower cost of living and flexible access to health care services.”

Other posts made similar claims.

“Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is not tolerating anymore racist attacks toward Mexicans. Nope in fact she is going eye for an eye and will consider deporting U.S. citizens from Mexico,” said one.

“In case some of you were not aware over a million U.S. citizens live in Mexico currently illegally and enjoy the lower cost of living, affordable healthcare without contributing to the economy,” the post continued.

An example of a Spanish-language video promoting the fake statements by Sheinbaum.

A Spanish-language video posing as a news report also claimed that Sheinbaum has outlined a plan to deport U.S. citizens from Mexico.

It quoted Sheinbaum as saying: “If the president of the United States deports all the illegal immigrants to our country, we’ll receive them with open arms. But in response we will arrest all United States citizens in our territory and we will deport them in the same way you are doing.”

Misinformation about Americans at risk of being deported from Mexico: A perspective from our CEO

FACTS:

• President Sheinbaum HAS NOT outlined any plan to deport U.S. citizens living in Mexico. She HAS NOT said that her government is considering the possibility of deporting any U.S. citizens who live in Mexico.
• The Sheinbaum administration has developed a plan to support Mexicans deported from the United States during the second Trump administration.
• Sheinbaum and other federal officials have expressed opposition to Trump’s plan to deport large numbers of immigrants from the United States. They have highlighted that Mexicans make a significant contribution to the United States economy and that the deportation of large numbers of them would thus have an adverse impact on the U.S.
• The exact number of U.S. citizens who live in Mexico on a full and part-time basis is unclear. However, a United States Department of State “bilateral relations fact sheet” that was updated this month says that “an estimated 1.6 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico.” The census carried out in Mexico in 2020 found that 797,266 people born in the United States were living in Mexico.
• Counting the number of U.S. citizens living in Mexico has become even more difficult in recent years due to an influx of remote workers (digital nomads) who typically enter the country as tourists. Many live and work in one place for a period of months or longer, with a significant number basing themselves in Mexico City neighborhoods such as Roma and Condesa.
• The number of U.S. citizens who live in Mexico “illegally” is also unclear. There are certainly a significant number of U.S. citizens who live here for extended periods without applying for or obtaining residency, but their presence in the country would not typically be unlawful unless they have overstayed their visitor permits. U.S. citizens can remain in Mexico for up to 180 days on a visitor permit known as an FMM.

U.S. citizens living in Mexico on expired visitor permits (like in the above image) or working here without permission could be susceptible to deportation, but not U.S. citizens with valid residency permits.

Could Mexico deport a large number of US citizens?

In theory, yes.

Mexico, as a sovereign country, has the right to decide who can enter, and who can live within its borders.

Thus, U.S. citizens living in Mexico on expired visitor permits, or working here without permission, among others, could be susceptible to deportation.

The newspaper Excélsior reported in September that it is estimated that around 1 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico “irregularly,” i.e. without obtaining residency.

However, the federal government HAS NOT indicated any intention to actively look for such people and deport them.

The influx of U.S. citizens to parts of Mexico in recent years has led to an increase in anti-American sentiment (“gringo go home” graffiti and anti-gentrification protests, for example), but Mexican authorities have largely continued to welcome foreigners who want to live here or stay for extended periods.

In 2022, when Sheinbaum was mayor of Mexico City, the Mexico City government entered into a partnership with the accommodation booking platform Airbnb and UNESCO to promote the capital to digital nomads. For decades, many retirees from the United States (and other countries) have lived in Mexico for part of the year without obtaining residency, and without confronting any major problems.

Citing official Mexican data, Fox 5 reported in early 2024 that 261 Americans (i.e. U.S. citizens) were deported from Baja California in 2023.

However, deportations of U.S. citizens appear to be rare. Americans living here “irregularly” or “illegally” are more likely to face fines than deportation. Those fines could be levied when U.S. citizens seek to leave Mexico.

U.S. citizens (and other foreigners) who have not kept their residency status up to date could also face fines.

“If you need to enter a ‘Regularization’ procedure (for example, if your residency card has expired) then you will need to pay a ‘Regularization’ fee of $1,780 Mexican pesos in addition to any other [applicable] fees/fines,” the website Mexperience said in an article headlined “Legal Residency in Mexico: Residency-Related Fees for 2025.”

Mexico News Daily