early and often

Mexico Unveils Plan to Protect Immigrants Under Trump

Mexicans in the United States face an uneasy future. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The Mexican government announced a new plan on Wednesday intended to protect its citizens living in the United States when Donald Trump becomes president.

Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Claudia Ruiz posted a video to Twitter in which she spoke directly to Mexicans living in the United States. The plan and her message are meant for Mexicans living in the U.S. both legally and illegally. Mexicans are concerned about Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric on the campaign trail, the legislation he has promised to put into place, and the reported increase in racially motivated attacks.

“Countryman, these are moments of uncertainty,” she tells her fellow Mexicans in the video. “Be calm, do not fall for provocations, and don’t let yourself be fooled.”

Far from going it alone under a Trump presidency, the Mexican government’s new plan depends on building ever closer ties with the United States — especially with officials at the state and local level who can ensure local regulations are in place to protect Mexican communities there.

In addition to reaching out to government officials, Mexico is moving to strengthen ties with nongovernmental civic organizations that support the Mexican community.

It will also launch a new toll-free number and roll out an app for Mexicans to use if they need any kind of assistance.

Among the new measures are plans to expand Mexico’s consular services — already the largest diplomatic network in the United States — including services like providing government IDs to undocumented immigrants, helping immigrants find their birth certificates, and providing general legal assistance.

Trump’s surprise election has thrown the Mexican government into a frenzy of planning. This new plan is separate from a recently announced economic plan that Bloomberg termed the “Trump Contingency Plan,” and other plans that the government recently announced to deal with the mass deportations Mexico can expect if Trump does eventually go through with his central campaign promise to remove millions of undocumented immigrants from the country.

Among the 11 points is a direct plea to Mexicans living in the United States — a sort of call for everyone to be on their best behavior and to avoid “any conflict situation” and “acts that could derive in administrative or criminal sanctions.” Increasingly, it’s just not clear what the consequences could be.

Mexico Unveils Plan to Protect Immigrants Under Trump