SAN ANTONIO – Talk of a cold war with the U.S. that is growing in Mexico concerns Alonzo Pena, the former deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President George W. Bush.
Now an international consultant based in San Antonio, Pena said the Mexican people and their leaders blame President Trump as described in one of Mexico City’s leading daily newspapers, La Jornada.
Pena said besides making campaign promises such as the border wall and deportations, priorities in the new administration indicate to Mexicans that, “They’re not treated as a fair partner and the U.S. position is ‘You’re going to have to do what we say.’”
Pena said he believes Mexico will stand firm in its opposition. He said the Mexican people are saying, “'We are good neighbors, and if you don’t want us as a neighbor, we have other options.'”
Pena said China and Russia are clamoring at Mexico’s door, eager to become its chief trading partners.
Possible cold war casualties could be U.S. businesses that rely on manufacturers and customers in Mexico.
"Look at all the companies that are in Mexico now from the U.S. You have just about every company," Pena said.
Yet what bothers Pena most is his feeling that, “I see no reason for this. That’s what most troubling.” As a veteran ICE agent who helped lead the agency, Pena said that when it comes to immigration enforcement, the Trump administration has brought back attempts that failed under President Obama.
He said Secure Communities and a policy giving local police and deputies immigration enforcement authority did not target criminals as intended.
Pena said the reports that ICE received showed, “They were what I refer to as low-hanging fruit. They were people with minor offenses.”
He said by widening the deportation net to include anyone entering the country illegally would mean, “It could be anybody that just happens to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Pena said ICE always has had that authority.
“But that’s not smart enforcement,” he said. “We have limited resources. Let’s use them correctly.”
Pena also said by deporting criminals who deserve to be sent back, it’s likely they have few connections in Mexico after spending years behind bars in the U.S. If so, he said, they won’t venture far from the border that still sees cartel activity in cities such as Matamoros, which is across the border from Brownsville.
Pena said they could become victims of crime, or simply commit even more crime.
“This is right on our border. It’s not going to be good,” he said.
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