Mexico launches app for Mexicans facing deportation. Here's how it works
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The Mexican government has launched a mobile application that provides support to Mexican nationals living in the United States, offering an array of services, among them the ability to document any encounters they may have with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The function and content of the application 'is not something that does not exist, but rather it facilitates the scope of what already exists in terms of our consular services,' Jorge Mendoza Yescas, Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix, said to The Arizona Republic. 'Very focused on the issues of protection and consular assistance due to the political immigration climate that we are experiencing.'
One week into Donald Trump's second presidency, fear among the immigrant community has grown exponentially due to the president's hard stance on immigration.
Yescas said he has not seen an uptick in ICE arrests since Trump took office. He said ICE's Phoenix office routinely arrests between one and five people daily, most of them people with final deportation orders and criminal backgrounds, typically involving DUIs, domestic violence and narcotics.
Still, and considering that the Trump administration plans massive immigration enforcement, Mexico launched ConsulApp Contigo — which translates to "consulate app with you" — an application available for Android and IOS to counteract the uncertainty that falls on many Mexican citizens and as an act of solidarity with them.
The vast majority of Latinos residing in Arizona are of Mexican origin. Around 2 million Latinos in Arizona — both US-born and migrants — are of Mexican origin, representing more than 25% of the state's total population. About 10.9 million Mexican immigrants reside in the U.S., according to 2023 data from the Migration Policy Institute.
The application, which is only meant for Mexicans living in the U.S., offers everything from an emergency contact button with an extension to the Information and Assistance Center for Mexicans (CIAM) in Tucson, Arizona, to a map of consular offices near the user and a section on the rights of its citizens.
It also has the function of notifying the user's family or friends in case of emergency.
Yescas mentioned that the application was originally created with the purpose of satisfying the needs and security of Mexicans in the U.S. who are in a vulnerable immigration situation. But at the same time, the project took a slight turn by incorporating other types of functions such as direct access to the WhatsApp appointment service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Contact button: When having an encounter with ICE, users can hold this button down for five seconds, which will generate a folio number with the profile holder's information and three different notifications about the case will be sent — one to CIAM, another to the user's nearest consulate and a third to the family member or emergency contact.
Know your rights: The application has a section that clearly and simply explains to its users what their rights are and what actions to take in the event of having an encounter with ICE.
Map of consular offices: Mexico has 53 consular offices in the U.S. A virtual map shows the locations of the consular offices closest to the user so that they can receive in-person assistance if they need it.
Scheduling services: The application offers the function of scheduling appointments at the nearest consulate for passports, consular registrations, powers of attorney and others through the WhatsApp appointment service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Yescas said that although this is a resource that officially and recently began to operate, the ConsulApp Contigo is constantly evolving and promises to incorporate other types of functions that will satisfy user needs.
'This is something that is in continuous improvement, it is not a finished product,' said Yescas.
Republic reporter Daniel Gonzalez contributed to this article.
Have story tips on Latino communities in the Valley? Reach La Voz reporter Paula Soria at psoriaaguilar@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mexico launches app that documents ICE encounters. How it works
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