Mexicans Are the Most Deported Nationality by the United States, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): A Mexican opinion column published by Latitud 21 says there is notably little reaction in Mexico to the way the United States searches for, captures and expels Mexican nationals under the official label “Worst of the Worst.” The column says the label is attached to Mexicans even as the issue receives little public response at home.
According to the column, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement portal lists 21,828 records of Mexican nationals tagged “Worst of the Worst,” and Mexico is the most deported nationality, with 271,193 deportations.
The author says the reaction in Mexico to these figures remains minimal.
The column also recalls that in August 2016 Mexican political actors used Donald Trump’s phrase “Bad hombres” to provoke a major diplomatic crisis, following a visit by the then Republican candidate to Los Pinos. The author writes that the pressure generated by that controversy led to the resignation of then Finance Secretary Luis Videgaray, a close aide to then President Enrique Peña Nieto.
The author further describes López Obrador’s first term, saying that after taking office in 2018 he deployed 28,000 soldiers at the border to stop migration to the United States and accepted deportees from other countries under the “Quédate en México” plan. The column also says López Obrador visited Trump during his reelection campaign, and that his support appeared in a Republican Party campaign ad.
It adds that López Obrador took 62 days to recognize Joe Biden’s victory after Trump lost to Biden.
The column states that during the current administration, with Trump back in the White House, 10,000 National Guard members have been deployed to the U.S. border.
It says Mexico and the United States both claim a 98% reduction in migrant crossings.
The author argues that the Mexican government has not taken specific action to condemn the search, capture and expulsion of Mexicans under the “Worst of the Worst” label. The column notes that the Foreign Ministry announced it would file a formal complaint with the United States over the death of a Mexican national on October 17 at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas.
The column also cites 157,883 arrests of Mexicans on streets and at workplaces, which it describes as the result of an institutionalized policy of administratively labeling Mexicans as “Worst of the Worst.” The author concludes that Mexicans carry a “scarlet mark,” comparing the situation to the novel The Crucible.
