MEXICO CITY, Dec 28, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Mexico will launch a mobile
application with an alert button for migrants facing imminent detention in
the United States, the government said Friday, following President-elect
Donald Trump's threats of mass deportations.

"If you find yourself facing imminent arrest, you press an alert button that
sends a signal to the nearest consulate," Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon
de la Fuente told a news conference.

The app, which is expected to be ready in January, will also notify the
person's family and the Mexican foreign ministry, he added.

There were an estimated four million unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the
United States in 2022, according to the US-based Pew Research Center.

Mexico has dozens of consulates across the neighboring country.

The Mexican government has been in talks with other countries including
Guatemala and Honduras about their own contingency plans for possible mass
deportations after Trump takes office on January 20, according to De la
Fuente.

He said there would be a ministerial-level meeting between countries that are
sources of migrants later to discuss the issue.

Trump has promised to declare a national emergency at the border with Mexico
and expel millions who lack residency papers, calling the arrival of migrants
an "invasion."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said her government is preparing a
document highlighting the contribution of Mexican workers to the US economy.