By Alonso Urrutia and Nestor Jimenez on June 10, 2025
Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum
Expressing her government’s unwavering commitment to defending the rights of Mexican nationals residing in the United States—whom she described as hard-working and honest people, regardless of their immigration status—President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized practices that criminalize the movement of people. We respectfully but firmly call on the US authorities to ensure that all immigration procedures are carried out in accordance with due process and within a framework of respect for human dignity and the rule of law.
Sheinbaum presented her government’s position on the anti-immigrant raids carried out on Friday in Los Angeles and the protests against this measure by the Trump administration by saying, “The Mexican government will continue to use all available diplomatic and legal channels to express its disagreement with practices that criminalize migration and jeopardize the safety and well-being of our communities in the United States.”
She expressed her disagreement with the violent actions, considering that the burning of patrol cars was more an act of provocation than of resistance. It must be clear that we condemn violence, wherever it comes from, she stressed before urging the Mexican community residing in the United States to demonstrate peacefully, without falling into provocations of any kind.
But she was also clear that she does not agree with these actions that violate the human rights of migrants and criminalize them. They are honest workers who help the US economy.
Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico cannot and should not intervene in US politics, because it is part of Mexican diplomacy. She said she understands when protests are peaceful, but reiterated her call not to resort to violence in demonstrations.
Support from consulates
The president went on to say that Mexican consulates in the United States have intensified their efforts to inform the Mexican community about their rights and the actions they can take if they are targeted by immigration authorities. She considered that the phenomenon must be addressed from a comprehensive, humane perspective and with regional co-responsibility. Mexico reiterates its willingness to continue collaborating with the US government in the search for solutions that prioritize respect for human rights, legality, and shared development.
She stressed that in recent years, the flow of Mexican migrants to the United States has decreased substantially and, in general, the transit of people to the northern country, which reached 13,000 encounters in December 2023 and now stands at 400, that is, people who want to enter the United States and are detained and returned to Mexico.
Sheinbaum went on to say that Mexican nationals contribute greatly to the economies of the United States and Mexico, emphasizing that 80 percent of their income remains in the United States, either through taxes or consumption. Most of those who are there have work permits or are citizens of that country. And in the case of those who do not have documents, they have been living in that country for many years.
Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said that since the raids were carried out in a Home Depot parking lot in downtown Los Angeles and at a textile factory, the Mexican consulate in that city began the process to assist the 42 Mexicans in a migrant center (37 men and five women).
Four of them had already been deported: two had a removal order, meaning they had already been sentenced, and two left voluntarily. He noted that due to the disturbances at the Los Angeles immigration center, they were transferred to other centers in Santa Ana, San Bernardino, and Calexico.
He said that the consulates in those locations also began reaching out to the detained migrants to offer them consular assistance and to contact their families. “Through legal channels, we will find the best solutions. We will exhaust all legal and diplomatic avenues to defend the rights of each and every one of our compatriots who are threatened.”
Source: La Jornada translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English