Mexico is creating an app, "Alert Button," to support Mexican nationals in the US facing potential deportation, a senior Mexican official announced Friday.
The app, set to launch in January, allows illegal immigrants to alert family members and the nearest Mexican consulate if they are about to be detained by US authorities.
"In case you find yourself in a situation where detention is imminent, you push the alert button, and that sends a signal to the nearest consulate," explained Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs. He noted that the app has already undergone small-scale testing and "appears to be working very well."
The move comes as Mexico prepares for mass deportations in the US under President-elect Trump’s administration, which has vowed to secure the border and execute the largest deportation program in US history. Estimates suggest there are 4.8 million Mexicans in the U.S. without legal residency or proper documentation, reports Fox News.
The Mexican official said that Mexico’s consular network, with 53 locations across the US, will advocate for the purported rights of illegal aliens in America. His office has hired 329 legal representatives to ensure due process for deportees.
The Mexican government has also launched a 24-hour call center to educate illegal immigrants on their rights and provide assistance ahead of potential arrests. "We want to tell our fellow countrymen that they are not alone and they will not be alone," De la Fuente stated.
Tensions between the US and Mexico have risen, with Trump proposing a 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports in response to illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has warned of a potential trade war, asserting that her government is already addressing the issue.
The Biden administration enabled record-high illegal crossings, with ICE reporting 271,484 deportations in fiscal year 2024, including 237 known or suspected terrorists. The number of illegal immigrants on ICE's non-detained docket surged to 7.7 million, more than doubling since Trump left office.
