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President Trump took office promising mass deportations on Day 1 of his presidency, so Mexico's federal government set up giant tent facilities on the border to shelter thousands of its returned citizens. But those massive facilities have not been needed, at least not yet. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, says so far, about 2,000 deported Mexicans have set foot in the government shelters. Angela Kocherga, with member station KTEP, reports from the site of one such mega shelter.
ANGELA KOCHERGA, BYLINE: A 15-foot statue of Pope Francis holding a dove overlooks the windswept banks of the Rio Grande. It's known as El Punto - the point where the pope celebrated mass here on the border in 2016. It's now the site of a massive shelter. Mexico's federal government erected enormous white tents here as President Trump took office. Ariadna Montiel Reyes, the official in charge of providing services for deported Mexicans, says so far, it hasn't been needed.
ARIADNA MONTIEL REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: Montiel Reyes says up to now, the flow of returning migrants has not been big. She recently toured the mega shelter in Ciudad Juarez, - 1 of 10 on the border.
MONTIEL REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: She said the facility includes dormitories for men, women and families, an area for showers. There are rows of pink and gray Porta Pottis. There's a kitchen and a dining hall. Medical attention is also available on site, but she hopes the number of Mexicans returned won't be large.
MONTIEL REYES: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: According to Montiel Reyes, government shelters all along the border remain well below capacity. Humanitarian workers say smaller existing shelters in Juarez, once filled, are nearly empty. According to Mexico's federal government, in the weeks since President Trump took office, nearly 13,000 migrants have been deported so far - among them, nearly 3,000 people Mexico agreed to take from other countries, including Cuba and Venezuela.
BRIAN ARTEAGA: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: Twenty-two-year-old Brian Arteaga and his wife are from Caracas, Venezuela. They never made it to the U.S. side of the border. The couple left Venezuela in 2023. Their son was born on the journey north. They waited in Mexico City nearly a year before getting an appointment to apply for asylum.
ARTEAGA: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: Arteaga said they were ready for their appointment, scheduled for January 21. That was the day after President Trump took office, and by then, thousands of pending asylum appointments made with the CBP One app had been canceled. His weary 19-year-old wife, Gabriela, said they've suffered through a lot to reach the border. That includes riding on top of the train with their toddler.
GABRIELA ARTEAGA: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: She holds their skinny, smiling 1-year-old in her arms while her husband peddles candy on the median of a busy street.
(SOUNDBITE OF SIREN WAILING)
ARTEAGA: (Speaking Spanish).
KOCHERGA: Arteaga said they wait in limbo since they can't enter the U.S. and may be forced to leave Mexico. Meanwhile, along the border fence, Mexican National Guard troops also wait and watch over the massive tent facility that sits empty.
For NPR News, I'm Angela Kocherga in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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