The Huge Problems With US Deportations To Latin American Countries

Carrots, Sticks, and Dignity Central America / South America When US President Donald Trump sent a plane of deported Colombians back to the country recently, Colombian President Gustavo Petro balked, saying he would only permit deportees to be returned “in a dignified manner.” He turned back the flights. US threats of high tariffs on Colombian goods and other punishments led to a standoff until Petro gave in, but only after the White House promised “dignified” returns in the future. The affair served as a warning to the entire region, wrote the Los Angeles Times. “For Trump, the episode gave him a chance to show the rest of Latin America the risks they face if they do not fall in line with his deportation plan.” As a result, other leaders in the region, such as those of Brazil and especially Mexico, are trying to avoid a showdown, choosing pragmatism instead. For example, when a flight with deportees to Brazil landed in the city of Manaus in late January, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wasn’t happy. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the highest-ranking diplomat at the US embassy in Brasília soon after to demand that such an incident not be repeated. The issue was how 88 deportees were forced to travel handcuffed on an aging US airplane in uncomfortable conditions. The Brazilian officials demanded – and were given, similar to the Colombians – assurances that such fights in the future would provide “dignified, respectful, and humane treatment” for the returning Brazilians. “We had a very sober reaction,” said Brazilian Minister of Justice Ricardo Lewandowski after the incident. “We do not want to provoke the American government.” Still, it’s Mexico that has the most to lose. Colombia is a minor trade partner with the US and also isn’t a major source of migrants. But Mexico is not only the largest source of migrants to the US, the US is its largest trade partner – 80 percent of its exports head north. As a result, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is playing it safe. “The relationship with the United States is special,” Sheinbaum said. “We are obliged to have a good relationship.” Mexico might be feeling a little put upon since Trump became president again, however: “More than any other country, Donald Trump went after Mexico on his first day in office,” the Economist noted. For example, the flurry of actions directed at Mexico included threatening tariffs on the country of 25 percent, ordering an investigation into trade imbalances, ordering its criminal gangs to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), declaring an emergency at the southern border, and reinstating policies that leave third-country migrants languishing on Mexican soil. The migrant issue poses a particular problem for Mexico. Thousands who were hoping to cross the border are stuck in Mexico. Some border towns are worried that they will be overwhelmed with deported Mexicans – illegals are estimated to number about five million in the US – plus millions more who are not Mexican. Tijuana recently declared a state of emergency over the issue, CNN reported. While Mexico accepted thousands of migrants deported from the US last month, one sticking point is the third-country nationals and who will pay for them. Sheinbaum has allowed some of those flights to land but said Mexico wouldn’t accept everyone, especially those foreign asylum-seekers who are part of the resumption of the “remain in Mexico” policy. Still, in most cases, Sheinbaum is acquiescing to US demands or making it seem as if she is, the Washington Post noted. Meanwhile, there is one US demand that has crossed a line for Mexico – renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Sheinbaum said when she encountered that executive order, she couldn’t help but laugh. “He says that he will call it the Gulf of America on its continental shelf,” Sheinbaum said, noting the gulf was named four centuries ago. “For us, it is still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world, it is still the Gulf of Mexico.” But she wasn’t joking when she sent Google a note afterward, telling the company to reverse the name change because one country could not unilaterally rename the gulf. Maybe we should “rename North America as ‘América Mexicana,’” she added. “That sounds nice, no?”