Bárcenas assured that the Mexican Foreign Secretariat will reinforce consular assistance in the event of possible family separation cases, as well as discriminatory practices and racial profiling.

On Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, approved a law that will allow authorities to identify, detain and deport people who are in the country without legal authorization.

The measure, which will go into effect on July 1, has been described as vague and confusing and could encourage malicious agents to go after immigrant families.

Just this week, Mexico announced that it will strengthen consular assistance and protection for its community in Iowa in light of the implementation of the state’s Senate File 2340 legislation.

The legislation will classify as a felony the undocumented re-entry or stay in the state after the denial of immigration relief.

The law seeks to criminalize the immigrant population, as it will allow state and local law enforcement officials to arrest immigrants for undocumented stay, and enable state judges to order deportations.

In this scenario, Mexico reiterated that protecting the rights of its community abroad is a priority.

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