Mexico is currently testing a cell phone app that will allow illegal aliens to warn relatives and a local Mexican consulate that they are about to be detained.
“In case you find yourself in a situation where detention is imminent, you push the alert button, and that sends a signal to the nearest consulate," said Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs.
Mexico estimates there are about 4.8 million Mexican citizens in the U.S. illegally, according to the Associated Press. That's probably not far off from the actual number. In recent years, Mexicans have made up a smaller and smaller percentage of illegal aliens in the U.S., to the point that they now make up much less than half the number of illegals living here.
The massive increase in Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and citizens of other failed states in Central and South America now make up the bulk of illegal residents.
The U.S. government is obliged to give notice to the nearest consulate if a citizen of another country is detained, so the idea of a cell phone app performing that function is redundant. Informing relatives who probably won't be able to do anything about deportation (and may be illegal themselves) is also futile. It is far better for the illegal alien to list his immigration attorney as a contact on the app.
Mexico receives about $40 billion in remittances from legal and illegal immigrants to the U.S. They would prefer the illegals stay in the U.S. and keep sending money to the folks back home.
The Mexican government also noted that it has a 24-hour call center to answer questions migrants may have. The country has also reportedly added consular staff in preparation for deportations and to help migrants with the legal process.
Some have reportedly compared the app to a panic button for migrants.
The app could also potentially serve as a replacement for the CBP One app, which Trump has promised to end.
The CBP One app, developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), allows migrants to schedule an appointment with U.S. immigration officials for potential asylum.
The Department of Government Efficiency estimates that illegal immigration cost the American economy more than $150 billion in 2023. That number was supplied by the Federation For American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which added the total federal, state, and local amount spent on illegal immigrants and subtracted tax revenues from illegals.
That $150 billion spent on illegals in 2023 was almost half the cost of what the U.S. spent on World War II in nearly four years of war, accounting for inflation.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that illegal aliens billed Medicaid for $16.7 billion in 2023. The benefits that should be going to U.S. citizens and legal residents are being sucked up by people in this country illegally.
There are currently around 800,000 people around the world who want to come to the United States. They fill out all the forms, show up for the interviews, and wait while their background checks are completed, so they can come to this country legally.
Are they all chumps for wanting to enter the U.S. legally to work and live? Its unfairness galls me to no end. Penalizing people for doing the right thing shouldn't happen in America. Nor should those who break the law be allowed to get away with their crime at the expense of those who obey the law.
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