Congressman Mike Walts was confirmed as the next National Security Advisor, while it was announced that Stephen Miller will have responsibilities in border management and that Senator Marco Rubio is the leading candidate for the Department of State. Walts has expressed support for U.S. armed forces operating in Mexico, while Miller backs the idea of mass deportations from day one of Trump's administration. Rubio, the senator from Florida, leads his party's stance against the left in Latin America.
In Palacio Nacional, the theory begins to emerge that Trump's deportation plan is not just a distant possibility. A potential partnership between the Morena party and organized crime has been mentioned, raising distrust in the Mexican government. Both Walts and Congressman Dan Crenshaw have advocated for considering drug cartels as terrorist groups, which would allow the U.S. to intervene in third countries.
Crenshaw has stated that former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is linked to drug trafficking. This week, the head of government in Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, will request reinforcements in the legal defense strategy for migrants at U.S. consulates. She has also begun to analyze the impact that Trump’s immigration policies will have on remittances and the Mexican labor market. Currently, it is estimated that there are over 4 million irregular Mexicans in the United States.
The bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States has become more tense with these appointments and statements. Walts and Crenshaw have discussed the situation in private meetings in Washington with Mexican opposition politicians. The possible arrival of Rubio at the Department of State raises concerns, especially given the current crisis in Cuba and Sheinbaum's expressed support for the Cuban government.
