Authorities in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, have begun building tent shelters ahead of a potential influx of migrants who could soon be deported under United States President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to crack down on illegal immigration to the U.S.
The temporary shelters in Juárez — there are three under construction — will be able to house over 7,500 Mexican migrants.
The first of the three shelters is being built on federal property in the area of El Punto, and will accommodate deported citizens of Mexico, Enrique Serrano Escobar, general coordinator of the Chihuahua State Population Council, told the newspaper El Heraldo de Juárez.
As reported by news outlet Net Noticias, the El Punto shelter will have eight large tents that will be divided into separate areas: one for women and children and another one for men. One tent will serve as a dining room.
Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said on Tuesday that the El Punto shelter should be operational in the next five days and will provide food, medical checkups and temporary lodging at no cost to migrants. Deported Mexicans also have the right to receive a debit card pre-loaded with 2,000 pesos (US $98) that they can use to return to their home states if desired, as part of the “Mexico Te Abraza” (Mexico Embraces You) repatriation support program announced by President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday.
According to Sheinbaum, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be present across the reception centers and shelters.
#TvMigranteInforma | #MañaneraDelPueblo
Ariadna Montiel Reyes (@A_MontielR) aseguró que ya hay un equipo de la Secretaría del @bienestarmx instalando albergues en Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, para apoyar a los mexicanos repatriados de #EUA, a través de una Tarjeta del Bienestar… pic.twitter.com/KLRYVHst7k
— TV Migrante (@TvMigrante) January 22, 2025
Welfare Minister Ariadna Montiel Reyes said that each shelter will be equipped with 50 government aides who will help deported Mexicans with their reintegration.
The new constructions in Ciudad Juárez are part of the Mexican government’s plan to establish nine reception areas for Mexican deportees in northern Mexico, including two in Baja California, one in Sonora, one in Coahuila, three in Tamaulipas and one in Nuevo León.
The shelters are intended to house deportees temporarily for a few days, after which they can choose to return to their place of origin. Otherwise, they’ll be directed to permanent migration shelters.
The Mexican government is reportedly preparing to send 189 buses to the northern border to transport migrants to their towns of origin in Mexico. Non-Mexican deportees “will be processed according to the indications and regulations established by the National Migration Institute (INM),” Escobar said.
Mexican authorities reported this morning that the number of daily deportations to Mexico has remained normal.
Upon taking office, U.S. President Trump moved swiftly to clamp down on illegal immigration to the United States and reverse policies approved by former President Joe Biden, policies that he said were overly permissive and allowed a large influx of undocumented immigrants.
According to a report by Mexico’s Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Colef) published earlier this month, some 13.5 million people without legal status in the U.S. could be subject to deportation. The report revealed that 4.9 million are Mexican nationals, while another 4.9 million come from Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
With reports from Fox 5 San Diego, Net Noticias, El Heraldo de Juárez, CNN En Español and La Jornada
