Sheinbaum to Trump: Raids and violence don't solve migration

President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo declared this Monday, June 9, 2025, that the migration phenomenon "is not addressed with violence or arrests," in response to the raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles and other cities, which have resulted in the detention of at least 35 Mexicans.

In a clear message to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo spoke out this Monday, June 9, 2025, against the recent immigration raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles, California, and other U.S. cities. These operations, which began last Friday, are part of the Trump administration's anti-immigrant policy and have raised alarm bells on both sides of the border.

During a public event, Sheinbaum Pardo forcefully stated that "the migration phenomenon cannot be addressed with violence or arrests." She expressed her disagreement with Washington's heavy-handed approach, underscoring the need for comprehensive immigration reform that considers the situation of all Mexicans in the United States, rather than resorting to mass detention operations. "The Mexicans living in the United States are good men and women, honest men who came to the United States to seek a better life for themselves and to contribute to their families. They are not criminals!" the president emphasized.

The Mexican president's response comes amid growing tensions, exacerbated by the implementation this Monday of a new travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, mostly African and Middle Eastern, to the United States, as well as restrictions on people from seven other nations, including Cuba and Venezuela.

President Sheinbaum reported that, to date, 35 Mexican citizens are known to have been detained as a result of these raids. She assured that the Mexican government is already providing support to the affected Mexicans through its consular network in the United States.

He explained that last Saturday, Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente established contact with the United States ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson. At the same time, the Mexican ambassador to Washington, Esteban Moctezuma, has been in contact with U.S. authorities to guarantee respect for the human rights of the detained Mexicans and ensure they receive adequate legal counsel.

This diplomatic effort seeks to balance the defense of Mexican citizens with the need to maintain a functional relationship with the U.S. government, a delicate exercise given the Trump administration's inflexible stance on immigration.

Sheinbaum Pardo also made a strong call to Washington to recognize the value of the work and contributions of Mexican migrants to the American economy and society. She recalled that even former President Trump, during the signing of the USMCA trade agreement, had acknowledged the role of Mexican workers. "Cities like New York or Los Angeles wouldn't be what they are if it weren't for Mexicans," she asserted, emphasizing that the United States "is what it is also thanks to the work of Mexican women and men who live on the other side of the border."

This argument, which appeals to economic interdependence, is a recurring tool of Mexican diplomacy to counter anti-immigrant narratives and remind the United States of the mutual benefit of the Mexican presence.

"The migration phenomenon is not addressed with raids and violence. It is addressed with comprehensive reform that considers all Mexicans on the other side of the border." – Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico.

The situation has become more complex after President Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to California, a state governed by Democrat Gavin Newsom, calling the protests against the raids an "insurrection." Defending Mexicans abroad is a political imperative for any Mexican president, and Sheinbaum's public and consular response is crucial for both the diaspora and the domestic audience.