By james art 
Mexican citizens living in the Inland Empire: The Mexican government has your back, according to a Mexican government official.
“The consulate is with them,” said Julio Huerta, vice consul at the Mexican consulate in San Bernardino. “They are not alone.”
Consulates are offices of a foreign government that, among other things, provide government services to the citizens of their countries, including assistance with visas and passports.
“They have the right to contact the Mexican consulate in San Bernardino,” said Alexis Medina, protection consul at the Mexican consulate in San Bernardino. His job is to work with Mexicans living in the US. “We have resources for almost every branch of the law, but most notably immigration law,” he said.
what is happening
On Monday, hours after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump issued a slew of executive orders. Among them are orders for:
- Declare an “invasion” taking place on the nation’s southern border.
- Allow US military personnel to act as immigration and border officials.
- Stop refugees from entering the United States.
- Ban birthright citizenship.
- Build barriers across the southern border.
- Eliminate or reevaluate programs that allow prospective immigrants to live in the U.S. while their cases are being processed.
- Build new Homeland Security detention centers to house those in the country illegally.
- Threatening sanctions against any country that appears unwilling to take back its citizens deported from the US
- Cancel plans to prepare for how climate change will affect migration.
- Instruct US government agencies which countries do such a poor job of vetting prospective immigrants into the country that they deserve to ban their citizens.
- Deny federal funding to “sanctuary cities” that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
- Stop federal funds going to groups that work with people who are in the country illegally.
How did the Mexican government respond?
The Mexican government was quick to respond to Trump’s actions on Monday.
“Regarding the executive orders that President Donald Trump signed yesterday, I would like to say this: The people of Mexico can rest assured that we will always protect our sovereignty and our independence,” President Claudia Scheinbaum said at a news conference Tuesday morning.
The Mexican government will take care of the migrants’ needs in a “humanitarian” way, she said. The “México te Abraza” program — “Mexico embraces you” in English — involves shelters set up in nine Mexican cities along the US border, including Tijuana and Mexicali. Mexican citizens who are deported from the U.S. will receive temporary housing, medical care, food, access to telephones and help finding jobs, according to the Mexican government. Migrants from other countries deported by the U.S. will be sent to their home countries, Scheinbaum said.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, by 2021 46% of unauthorized immigrants in the United States are from Mexico. Immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala each make up 7% of the unauthorized immigrant population.
The consulates of El Salvador and Guatemala in San Bernardino did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
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What should Mexican residents do in the Inland Empire?
On Thursday, the consulate had practical advice for Mexican citizens living in Southern California:
“What we recommend, in case they have any interaction with any authority, is to remain silent,” Medina said. “They have the right to remain silent, to not disclose their immigration status until they speak to an attorney.” They can say “I don’t consent to a search, I want to speak to a lawyer, I want to call.” This call can be to a lawyer or it can be to the consulate.
Mexican residents also have the right to refuse to sign documents and request an interpreter, he said.
“The best defense is knowing your rights,” Medina said.
But Mexicans detained by US law enforcement should not lie to them or show them false documents, Huerta warned.
He also recommended that Mexican immigrants have plans for what happens if one or more adults are detained or deported by U.S. immigration authorities, including plans for emergency child care and how to handle finances.
“If you think you might end up in Mexico, but your kids aren’t, someone might have to take care of them,” Huerta said. “So plan for that.”
He also showed off a new smartphone app the Mexican government launched this week. ConsulApp Contigo, available for both iOS and Android devices, includes information on US immigration law. Users in the United States can communicate and schedule appointments with their local consulate. It also includes a panic button that will alert the user’s emergency contacts and consular officials if they are detained by US immigration authorities.
The Mexican government has also established a 24-hour hotline for Mexican citizens who need help with immigration issues: 520-623-7874. The San Bernardino Consulate can also be reached 24 hours a day at 909-708-8093.
Consulate officials are also participating in seminars and information sessions about immigrant rights in the U.S., including a session Wednesday night hosted by the San Bernardino City Unified School District. The consulate distributes information on how to deal with the police on business card-sized flyers at events.