According to a report by AP News on Thursday, December 5, 2025, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum plans to request that President-elect Donald Trump deport non-Mexican migrants directly to their countries of origin, rather than leaving them at the Mexican border.
She hopes to reach an agreement with Trump to ensure that migrants from other countries are sent back to their homelands, rather than being passed on to Mexico.
Although Mexico isn't required to accept migrants from other countries, it has previously agreed to take in non-Mexican nationals, particularly from Cuba and Venezuela.
Interestingly, these countries often reject US deportation flights but may accept them from Mexico.
Mexico is bracing itself for the possibility of mass deportations, with President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasizing the need to safeguard the well-being of Mexican citizens who might be forcibly returned.
Mexico's concerns are two-fold which are the potential mass deportation of its own citizens back to Mexico, and the influx of non-Mexican migrants being sent to its border crossings, which are not adequately equipped to handle such large numbers.
Roughly 4 million undocumented Mexicans reside in the US, prompting Mexico to bolster its consular services across the country, adding personnel to manage the anticipated surge in deportation cases affecting its citizens.
Third-country deported migrants, particularly from Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela, present a complex challenge. Recently, Mexico agreed to accept a significant number of migrants from these countries, which the US struggles to deport to due to diplomatic and political reasons.
Between 2022 and 2023, Mexico accepted up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
This agreement is still in effect, allowing the US to relocate migrants from these countries to Mexico instead of their home countries.