Mexico launches ‘panic button’ for migrants in US

On By Littum

The Mexican government announced Friday that it is working to develop a “panic button” for migrants in the United States who believe they may soon be detained by US immigration authorities.

The effort involves a mobile phone app created in response to incoming US President Donald Trump’s warnings that he will carry out mass deportations when he takes office on January 20, 2025.

Speaking at President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference on Friday, Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente said the app will allow users to press a button that will immediately send a message to previously selected relatives and the nearest Mexican consulate.

De la Fuente described the device as a sort of “panic button” for Mexicans in the United States, and said small tests have proven the app “seems to work very well.”

“The most important thing is that if someone is detained – regardless of migration status – the consulate is informed and thus able to provide all the necessary attention and protect that person’s rights,” De la Fuente said, according to Mexican news agency Quadratín.

US authorities are required to notify home country consulates when a citizen is detained abroad, but the “panic button” would provide instant notification to more people and widen the web of transparency.

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, President of Mexico, accompanied by Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a press conference at the National Palace where they highlighted migration issues.Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, President of Mexico, accompanied by Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a press conference at the National Palace where they highlighted migration issues.
The “panic button” would provide immediate notification of a person’s deportation to more people, widening the web of transparency. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

The “Panic Button” allows users to select contacts they want to notify in an emergency and preload personalized messages for each recipient. A single click would send all messages by text in seconds.

President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has promised to “defend” Mexican migrants at risk of deportationsaid the app is expected to be available Jan. 6.

ONE similar app called Notifica was developed back in 2017 during Trump’s first presidential campaign, where he also talked about mass deportations. This app is owned and published by United We Dream, a youth-led network of immigrants in the United States.

Milenio newspaper reported that Mexico’s app is being developed with the assistance of the newly created Digital Transformation Agency.

It is not yet clear if the app has a deactivation feature that would allow someone to revoke a warning if they are not detained.

The Mexican government began preparation for potential mass deportations as a result of Trump’s victory in the presidential election in November.

The government has set up a 24-hour call center to answer migrants’ questions and has added to existing US consular staff, including additional staff to provide legal assistance to migrants caught in the legal process of deportation, the AP reported.

With reports from Millennium, Quadratín and El Economista