Mexico is combining ‘hugs’ and technology to help its citizens rebuild lives in their home country in case of deportation.
Mexican citizens are calling and showing up at their consulate in Dallas seeking advice on what to do if they encounter U.S. immigration enforcement officers while in Texas. They want to know their rights, who they should call in case of an emergency and whether it’s safe to go to work or send kids to school.
On Jan. 20, as part of a strategy to prepare for immigration changes under President Donald Trump, Mexican government officials unveiled ‘Mexico te abraza’—Mexico hugs you—a program to assist its citizens in the event of deportation. The country also launched a new mobile app to help families communicate quickly.
“The community is scared. It is anxious. It is a challenge for us [Mexican consulates], but we know that people have a right to be scared,” Dallas’ Mexican Consul General Francisco De La Torre said. “We are asking people to get informed before making any decision.”
An influx of requests for help comes days after executive orders signed by Trump on immigration, including those that redefine birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, allow immigration enforcement in or near schools and churches, and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Rumors on social media about massive workplace raids add to the anxiety, De La Torre said.
The ‘Mexico te abraza’ includes an emergency communication tool as well as a roadmap for its citizens to rebuild lives in their home country and feel welcome with multiple federal and state agencies in Mexico collaborating.
The new government mobile app, ‘ConsulApp Contigo,’ has an emergency feature to alert relatives and officials at the nearest Mexican consulate if they are about to be detained. It is only available for Mexicans in the U.S. and for Android and iOS systems.
Those returning to their homeland can access resources through the ‘Mexico te abraza’ program and will be included in the Ministry of Social Welfare programs and the Mexican Social Security Institute. They will also get support in processing of important documents, such as the Unique Population Registry Code that facilitates their reintegration into the country.
Mexican citizens returning home through ‘Mexico te abraza’ will receive a debit card with 2,000 Mexican pesos, about $90 in U.S. dollars, to pay for transportation from the centers installed in the northern border states.
Nine Mexican cities in those states have temporary shelters to house people and provide food, water and medical care. The program has 189 buses to transport them from the border repatriation points to the nine care centers and 100 more to take them to their states of origin.
Mexico is waiting with open arms, Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, that country’s secretary of the interior, said during a Monday press conference.
“Mexico has not forgotten you, just as I am sure you carry your homeland in your hearts,” she said. “Dear fellow countrymen: your nation is ready to be once again a home for everyone.”
In North Texas, 822,615 Mexicans call Dallas County home. Tarrant County has 515,955, followed by Denton County with 134,757 and Collin County with 129,059, according to the 2023 American Community Survey.
The majority of Mexicans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are from Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Guerrero, Durango and Zacatecas, according to the Mexican Consulate in Dallas.
De La Torre said many are calling this week seeking information on how to move back to Mexico, such as logistics on how to take their cars and money with them.
“Some American politicians say self-deportation. We say repatriation is when people make the decision to return to Mexico to avoid any circumstance of detention,” De La Torre said.
The 53 Mexican consulates across the U.S. assist their constituents, such as in obtaining identification documents.
The number of requests from U.S. citizens wanting dual citizenship increased in the last two years, De La Torre said.
Most requests come from those whose parents are Mexicans but don’t have legal status in the U.S. and those who are U.S. citizens with Mexican heritage who want to buy land, travel or obtain benefits that Mexican citizens have, he said.
“The priority group — and who we are urging the most to process dual citizenship — is those kids whose parents are not here legally and could face deportation,” De La Torre said.
Meanwhile, families should have a plan in case someone in the household is deported, he said. He recommends parents leave at home a notarized letter stating who has the right to care for their children if they are out of the country.
Consulates provide 24-hour emergency services for their nationals in the event of an emergency — such as immigration detention, repatriation, death or rights violations. The number for Dallas is (214) 621-0198. Mexicans can visit the Protección Consular office without an appointment from Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
De La Torre urges Mexicans to know their rights when dealing with immigration authorities, not to lie to authorities and to get information from trustworthy sources.
For more information, visit the website of the Mexican Consulate in Dallas or its offices at 1210 River Bend Drive.
