MATAMOROS, Jan 24: Mexican soldiers rushed Thursday to set up emergency shelters near the border with the United States ahead of President Donald Trump's threatened mass deportations.
The Mexican government said it planned to open nine shelters for its citizens and three more for deported foreigners, without clarifying the total capacity, under a scheme called "Mexico embraces you."
President Claudia Sheinbaum said this week that Mexico would provide humanitarian assistance to deported migrants from other countries before repatriating them.
On Thursday, she said that two of the reception centers were expected to be ready by the end of the day and the others by the weekend.
They will be equipped with kitchens and bathrooms and will offer food, health services and counseling.
In the northeastern city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, navy personnel were seen erecting a shelter on a large sports field, according to an AFP correspondent.
The facilities included olive-green tents for military personnel who will be in charge of security, as well as a metal structure that will house tents for the deportees.
The Matamoros shelter -- one of three being built in Tamaulipas state -- will be able to accommodate around 3,000 people, according to municipal authorities.
"We expect to receive 200 to 250 people a day," said Alberto Granados, mayor of the city on the banks of the Rio Grande river which snakes along the border.
Last week another Mexican border city, Tijuana, just south of California, declared an emergency to free up funds to deal with the potential arrival of deportees. �AFP
