Mexican President Says She’s Prepared To Handle Trump’s Mass Deportations

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum assured the public that her government is prepared to handle an influx of illegal migrants sent back by President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation initiative.

While cautioning that immigrants should not be treated as “criminals” during a Thursday press conference, the newly-elected leftist leader also affirmed that her administration is prepared to take in masses of Mexican nationals who may be repatriated back to the country. The comments come as Trump will soon resume office and has pledged to conduct a large-scale deportation operation.

“In the event of deportations, we will receive Mexicans, and we have a plan for that,” Sheinbaum said in Spanish, during a press conference in Mexico City. “However, we will work beforehand to show that our nationals who are on the other side of the border do not have to be deported, as they actually benefit the U.S. economy.”

Sheinbaum confirmed that she will be conducting a meeting with her cabinet on Thursday to strategize on upcoming discussions with Trump’s team.

Trump, who was elected to a second term earlier this month, has pledged to resume construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, revive the Remain in Mexico program, hire more Border Patrol agents and bring an end to birthright citizenship for those born on U.S. soil to illegal migrant parents. The incoming president has also vowed to embark on the “largest deportation program in American history.”

Trump doubled down on this goal Monday morning by confirming reports that he intends to declare a national emergency and utilize military assets to help carry out his mass deportation agenda.

His deportation efforts could put him at odds with Sheinbaum, an ideological leftist who has been more sympathetic to illegal migrants who  cross Mexico in hopes of reaching the U.S. border. She was sworn into office in October and is considered a close ally to fellow Morena Party member and former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Much could be at stake for Sheinbaum, as the millions of Mexicans currently living in the U.S. — both legally and illegally — play a crucial role for the Mexican economy.

There are an estimated 17 million illegal migrants currently living in the U.S. and roughly four million of them are Mexican nationals, according to Pew Research. Mexicans living and working in the U.S. send an enormous amount of their earnings back to their families living in Mexico, to the tune of over $60 billion a year, according to the Associated Press.