Mexico is developing an app called the “Alert Button” that will allow migrants in the U.S. facing deportation to alert their family members and local U.S. consulates if they are about to be detained by authorities. The Mexican government is planning to ensure that each Mexican citizen is given due process in the U.S. before potential removal. This app is being designed in anticipation of mass deportations of illegal migrants expected to occur after President-elect Trump is sworn into office. Many Mexican nationals who are in the U.S. illegally may be targeted by the new Trump administration as part of a plan to secure the border and carry out the largest mass deportation program the country has seen.
The app will allow users to send an alert notification to chosen relatives and the nearest Mexican consulate by pressing a tab. There are 53 Mexican consulates in the U.S., so users will be able to reach out to the consulate closest to their location. The app is set to be available in January and has already undergone small-scale testing, which the Mexican government says has been successful. In addition to the app, Mexico has beefed up its consular staff by hiring legal representatives to ensure that Mexican migrants facing deportation are properly informed of their rights and given due process before potential removal.
U.S. authorities are required to notify home-country consulates when a foreign citizen is detained, and Mexico has increased its consular staff and legal aid to assist migrants in the legal process related to deportation. The government has set up a call center to answer migrants’ questions and educate them on their rights in the event of potential arrests or other intimidating actions. Mexico’s foreign minister emphasized that the Mexican government will defend the human rights of its citizens in the U.S. in compliance with international law. Consular staff will be vigilant in ensuring that due process is followed before anyone is deported from the U.S.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. has seen an increase in illegal migration across its borders. The number of illegal immigrants on ICE’s non-detained docket has more than doubled since the end of the Trump administration, reaching nearly 7.7 million. The annual ICE report revealed that 271,484 illegal immigrants were deported to 192 different countries in fiscal year 2024, with a significant percentage having criminal histories or suspected ties to terrorism. The number of deportations has increased in recent years, with the Trump administration deporting around 185,000 in FY 2020, while the Biden-Harris administration deported over 270,000 in FY 2024.
