Trump’s team has dismissed talk of mass deportations, Latin American countries say

Donald Trump has promised to continue the largest deportation campaign in American history as soon as he takes office.

But the Mexican government and other regional allies have been unable to meet with the incoming Trump administration, according to Latin American officials, leaving them in the dark about its plans. the president elected to deport millions of illegal immigrants.

The incoming administration has rejected Mexico’s request for a formal meeting, insisting that detailed discussions will begin after Mr. Trump is sworn in next Monday, according to a Mexican official. and two people familiar with the exchange who were not authorized to speak publicly.

The Guatemalan and Honduran governments have received similar messages, according to officials from those countries.

“That’s not how it usually works,” said Eric L. Olson, a fellow in the Latin America program of the Wilson Center and the Mexico Institute. “Typically there’s more informal communication and there’s a level of discussion now.”

The incoming administration could limit the conflict before intensifying pressure by signing an executive order on immigration, analysts say, leaving governments in the region scrambling to respond. This could strengthen Washington’s hand in future negotiations.

“At the moment, we cannot talk about concrete measures because there has not been a specific discussion about immigration policy with the future authorities,” said Santiago Palomo, spokesman for the president of Guatemala, in a discussion about how his country is preparing to respond. Mr. Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan.

Guatemala’s embassy in the United States has been in contact with Trump’s transition team, the official said, but members of the incoming administration have not communicated any specific plans for increasing deportations, or how they should be handled. Guatemala to prepare.

Honduran government officials also said they have not been contacted by the incoming Trump administration. Earlier this month, Honduran President Xiomara Castro threatened to pull US troops out of the base he built decades ago in the Central American country if Mr Trump carried out mass deportations.

Given Mr. Trump’s focus on Latin America, the lack of clarity about his goals has unsettled regional governments.

The incoming administration has said it wants to restore the “Stay in Mexico” policy implemented during Trump’s first term, which forces some immigrants to wait in Mexico instead of the United States while they wait for asylum. Mr. Trump also said he plans to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military in some form to help with his plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

“President Trump will follow all federal authority and work with state authorities to launch the largest crackdown on illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in history.” America,” Trump transition team spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote in an email to The NY Times. He did not respond to questions about whether the incoming administration had rejected requests from Mexico and other countries.

Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, says her administration does not approve of the mass deportation program. “Of course we don’t agree,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday. “But, if there is such a decision from the US government, we are ready.”

But each time he was asked how the country would respond, his answer was evasive — though he recently signaled the country’s willingness to accept non-Mexican exiles.

“We will ask the United States that, if possible, the immigrants who are not from Mexico can be sent to their countries of origin – and if not, we can work together through different mechanisms,” he told reporters earlier this month. .

Some analysts say Mr. Trump’s team may limit its meetings with Latin American governments because they are concerned about violating the Logan Act. This law forces the incoming administration to limit the scope of negotiations with foreign governments until they wait, so as not to harm the sitting US president.

But the previous administration met with foreign governments to carefully discuss their policy goals, without violating the movement.

However, the move did little to curb Mr. Trump to meet his future colleagues. Since his election in November, Mr. Trump has met privately with the leaders of Italy, Canada and Argentina at his Mar-a-Lago hotel.

Despite the lack of communication, Mr. Trump has made his foreign policy goals clear in speeches and on social media, giving Mexican and other regional governments some of potential policies in the United States.

“Trump has publicly indicated that immigration is a priority, as are tariffs,” Mr. Olson said.

Shortly after his election victory, Mr. Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico unless it did more to curb immigration and the flow of drugs.

“But there is no clear framework for the Trump administration on how to engage in dialogue and negotiations. It will be resolved soon” once he takes office, Mr. Olson added.

The next US administration may try to get Latin American countries to accept asylum seekers from other countries who seek asylum in the US, known as “safe third country agreements.” The first Trump administration was able to get Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to sign these agreements, although the policy was only implemented in Guatemala, albeit temporarily.

But those deals may be more difficult this time around. President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala told The Associated Press this week, “We are not a safe third country, no one has offered it.”

The foreign minister, Carlos Ramírez Martínez, said in an interview that he expected his government to face pressure. “I have no doubt that it will come,” he said.

Officials in El Salvador say they will work with the Trump administration to protect the status of Salvadorans in the United States. “We’re working to make immigration an option, not an obligation,” Cindy Portal, a senior State Department official, said in a television interview on Wednesday.

In the absence of clarity from the transition team, some Latin American leaders are developing a unified response in anticipation of any executive orders related to immigration or deportations issued once Mr. Trump takes office.

Representatives from several regional governments met in Mexico City this week to discuss “opportunities and challenges in migration in the region and strengthening coordination and cooperation,” according to a statement by the Guatemalan government about the meeting.

The agenda, while heavy on immigration, did not address Mr. Trump.

Jody García contributed reporting from Guatemala City; Joan Suazo from Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Gabriel Labrador from San Salvador, El Salvador. James Wagner, Paulina Villegas, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega and Simon Romero participated from Mexico City; Mary Triny Zea of ​​Panama City; Julie Turkewitz of Bogotá, Colombia; Hogla Enecia Pérez from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Ed Augustin of Havana, Cuba; and Lucía Cholakian Herrera from Buenos Aires, Argentina.