Mexico on Saturday opened legal defense centers at its consulates in all 50 U.S. states in response to President Trump's hardline immigration policy.

"We are not promoting illegality," said Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray. "Today we are facing a situation that can paradoxically represent an opportunity, when suddenly a government wants to apply the law more severely," he added. "It is becoming more than evident that to apply the law, which is the obligation of any state, would also imply a real economic damage to this country which highlights the need for immigration reform." Videgaray urged the United States to devise a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

At the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday, nearly 500 people — 10 times the expected attendance — came to a seminar with immigration lawyers explaining their legal rights. In 20 years of practice, "we have never seen this type of force, so excessive that it seeks to find a way to deport immigrants in the U.S., and even legal immigrants, people with residency," said immigration attorney Barbara Melendez, who spoke at the event. The lawyers advised immigrants to know their rights, be honest with authorities, and never resist arrest. Bonnie Kristian </s> Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray calls on US to respect rights of Mexicans and urges path to citizenship for migrants.

Mexico has opened legal aid centres at its 50 consulates across the United States to defend its citizens amid worries of a crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

The centres will provide free legal assistance to Mexican citizens who feel that their rights in the US are being threatened.

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray called on the US government to respect the rights of Mexicans, and urged the US to allow a path to legality for those without documents.

"We are not promoting illegality," Videgaray said in a video of an event at the Mexican consulate in New York provided by the foreign ministry.

He said Mexico's government wants its citizens in the US to follow the law but it also advocates the respect of human rights.

"Today we are facing a situation that can paradoxically represent an opportunity, when suddenly a government wants to apply the law more severely," Videgaray said.

"It is becoming more than evident that to apply the law, which is the obligation of any state, it would also imply a real economic damage to this country which highlights the need for an immigration reform that resolves once and for all the legal status of the people," Videgaray said.

Mexico is worried about the impact that guidelines issued last month by President Donald Trump will have on the lives of its citizens.

During his first month in office, Trump issued orders to initiate tougher deportation procedures, following up on campaign to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, and crackdown on illegal migration.

The Pew Research Center estimates there are nearly six million undocumented Mexicans are living in the US.

In lateFebruary, Videgaray expressed "worry and irritation" about Trump's new policies to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security chief John Kelly when they visited Mexico for talks on immigration and security.

Diplomatic relations between the neighbouring countries have deteriorated after Trump declared his plan to build the wall, the construction of which, he said, will be paid by Mexico.

The remarks prompted President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a visit to Washington on January 31 and to announce extra funding to protect the rights of Mexican citizens in the US. </s> A Mexican who was recently deported from the U.S. walks by the Tijuana river, in Tijuana, Mexico, February 22, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Mexico opened legal aid centers at its 50 consulates across the United States on Saturday to defend its citizens, the Mexican government said, amid worries of a crackdown on illegal immigration under U.S. President Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray exhorted the U.S. government to respect the rights of Mexicans and called for the United States to allow a path to legality for undocumented migrants.

“We are not promoting illegality,” Videgaray said, according to a video of an event at the Mexican consulate in New York provided by the foreign ministry, saying that Mexico supported following the law, but that means respecting human rights.

Trump has issued orders to initiate tougher deportation procedures during his first month in office, following up on campaign vows to fight illegal immigration and to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Today we are facing a situation that can paradoxically represent an opportunity, when suddenly a government wants to apply the law more severely,” Videgaray said.

“It is becoming more than evident that to apply the law, which is the obligation of any state, would also imply a real economic damage to this country which highlights the need for immigration reform, an immigration reform that resolves once and for all the legal status of the people,” Videgaray said.

The Pew Research Center estimates there are nearly 6 million undocumented Mexicans living in the United States.

Late last month, Videgaray expressed “worry and irritation” about Trump’s new policies to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security chief John Kelly when they visited Mexico for talks on immigration and security. </s> Instead of paying for Donald Trump's notorious border wall, Mexican President has chosen to allocate some $50 million to his country's consulates across the United States to boost legal aid and protection of Mexican citizens who might be facing deportation.Tensions between the two countries amid concerns of a looming crackdown on illegal immigration under President Trump's administration has prompted Mexican officials to take legal steps to protect citizens "against an eventual deportation.""What changes today is that we are prioritizing legal matters over everything. Previously, we didn't have the need to seek so much legal support for our people," Mexican Consul General in Miami, Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia said Friday.Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto allocated some $50 million to 50 Mexican consulates in the US to provide better legal support. The initiative is not aimed at "promoting illegality," but rather "a moral imperative," Mexican FM Luis Videgaray said as he visited the country's New York City consulate."Today we are facing a situation that can paradoxically represent an opportunity, when suddenly a government wants to apply the law more severely," Reuters quoted Videgaray as saying.Videgaray urged the US toUS President Donald Trump has issued orders to impose strict deportation procedures during his first month in office. Such policies, alongside the border wall project, are aimed to a great extent against Mexico, as someaccording to estimates from the Pew Research Center.The Mexican President, however, has consistently dismissed any such notion.The 2,000-mile border wall could be built within the next two years, according to US Department of Homeland Security estimates. A site accepting federal contractor applications from companies interested in constructing the wall will be launched by the US Customs and Border Protection on March 6. </s> In response to the Trump administration 's decision to withdraw the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council , Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray Caso posted a press release on June 20 sharing Mexico's thoughts on the U.S.'s withdrawal.

“Mexico’s government laments the United States of America’s decision to no longer participate in the United Nations Human Rights Council,” the release reads . It continued by acknowledging the need to participate in the council now more than ever, since there is a challenge in protecting the human rights of everyone, “in particular of groups in situations of vulnerability, such as children and adolescents , people with disabilities, migrants, indigenous communities, and LGBTI persons , among others.”

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision to leave the council on June 19, calling the organization "a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias." The release from Caso came on the same day Trump reversed course on the new policy of separating parents and children after they crossed the border; that policy took effect because of the administration’s zero-tolerance policy , which resulted in prosecutions for all border crossers.

Although the U.S. decided to withdraw, Mexico’s government believes the U.S. is still responsible for complying with its international obligations, like every other country. “The Mexican government is convinced that multilateralism is the best way to face global challenges, and that today more than ever it is fundamental to defend and strengthen the institutions that countries have built to have spaces of convergence and mutual understanding,” Caso stated in the press release.

Determined to continue the mission behind the Human Rights Council, regardless of the U.S.'s withdrawal, Mexico said it will continue to be an active member of the council.

"Without prejudice to the determination of the government of the United States, its departure from the Council does not exempt it from complying with its international obligations regarding the promotion and protection of human rights, like any other State," the statement said. "The Mexican government is convinced that multilateralism is the best way to face global challenges, and that today more than ever it is fundamental to defend and strengthen the institutions that countries have built to have spaces of convergence and mutual understanding."

Some consider asylum to be a human right, and Amnesty International notes that many asylum seekers are fleeing human rights violations against them. Trump administration officials had discussed using family separation as a way to discourage asylum seekers prior to the policy's taking effect.

According to Human Rights Watch, both Mexico and the U.S. have blemishes on their human rights records. Both nations have issues with abuses in their criminal justice systems and with codifying LGBTQ rights under the law. Just last year, according to Human Rights Watch , the U.N. Committee on Migrant Workers called on Mexico to “only use the detention of migrants as a measure of last resort” and to “immediately put an end to” the practice of detaining migrant children.

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Want more from Teen Vogue ? Check this out: 5 Reasons Activists Are Calling for the Abolition of ICE </s> MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico reacted with anger on Wednesday to what one official called "hostile" new U.S. immigration guidelines hours before senior Trump administration envoys began arriving in Mexico City for talks on the volatile issue.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security unveiled plans on Tuesday to consider almost all illegal immigrants subject to deportation, and will seek to send many of them to Mexico if they entered the United States from there, regardless of nationality.

The tension over the timing of the rules mirrors an outcry when President Donald Trump said on Twitter Mexico should pay for his planned border wall shortly before Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was due at a Washington summit in January.

However, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in Washington U.S.-Mexico ties were "phenomenal right now" and that he expected a "great discussion." Other senior officials also put on a brave face, telling reporters the trip was aimed at building a close working relationship.

Trump, who took office last month, campaigned on a pledge to get tougher on the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, playing on fears of violent crime while promising to build the wall and stop potential terrorists from entering the country.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson landed in Mexico City on Wednesday afternoon. He was joined by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly later for talks the White House said would "walk through" the implementation of Trump's immigration orders.

Kelly signed the guidelines issued by his department on Monday.

Mexico's lead negotiator with the Trump administration, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, said there was no way Mexico would accept the new rules, which among other things seek to deport non-Mexicans to Mexico.

"I want to say clearly and emphatically that the government of Mexico and the Mexican people do not have to accept provisions that one government unilaterally wants to impose on the other," Videgaray told reporters at the Foreign Ministry.

He said the issue would dominate the talks on Wednesday and Thursday. Mexico will insist that the United States proves the nationality of any person it wants to deport to Mexico, he said.

"We also have control of our borders and we will exercise it fully," he said, adding that Mexico was prepared to go the United Nations to defend the freedoms and rights of Mexicans under international law.

Roberto Campa, who heads the human rights department of the Interior Ministry, said the plan to deport non-Mexicans to Mexico was "hostile" and "unacceptable."

Senators for the leading leftist opposition party, the Party of the Democratic Revolution, said Tillerson and Kelly were not welcome in Mexico and they urged Pena Nieto not to meet them.

Another potential point of friction is a review ordered by Trump of the U.S. aid Mexico receives, dominated by $2.6 billion allocated largely for security under the Merida Initiative. Some believe the order carries a threat of cutting off such support.

Homeland Security's guidance to immigration agents is part of a broader border security and immigration enforcement plan in executive orders that Trump signed on Jan. 25.

In Guatemala on Wednesday, Kelly denied the administration was embarking on mass deportations.

Jason Marczak, director of the Atlantic Council's Latin America Economic Growth Initiative, said the Republican president appeared to have timed the unveiling of deportation measures as a negotiating tactic aimed at unsettling Mexico.

Trump was "carving out more extreme positions to be able to then negotiate a compromise solution," Marczak said.

Mexico's agenda at the talks on Thursday includes border infrastructure, deportation strategies, Central American migration, narcotics, arms trafficking and terrorism, as well as the North American Free Trade Agreement, a senior official with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Two senior Trump administration officials said the agenda included ways to tackle heroin production and strengthening Mexico's southern border. </s> Only hours before a two-day visit to Mexico by the U.S. secretary of state and head of the Homeland Security, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said Wednesday that Mexico "will not accept" the unilateral imposition of U.S. immigration proposals, according to media reports.

The foreign minister also said he would not hesitate to take the issue to the United Nations to defend what he called the rights of immigrants, Reuters reports.

His comments followed the release of new directives by the Department of Homeland Security aimed at increasing deportations among the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Under the new guidelines, all federal immigration officers can now conduct an "expedited removal" anywhere in the U.S. against people who arrived in the U.S. in the previous two years.

One critical part of the new directives, which would require Mexican cooperation, says federal immigration officials can send those undocumented immigrants back to Mexico, even if they're not from there.

Many of the undocumented immigrants in recent years have come from Central America and travelled through Mexico to reach the U.S. border.

Videgaray said the new U.S. proposals would be the main focus of talks Wednesday and Thursday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of DHS John Kelly.

“I want to make it clear in the most emphatic way that the government of Mexico and the people of Mexico do not have to accept provisions that one government wants to unilaterally impose on another,” Videgaray said, according to Univision. “We will not accept that because we have no reason to; it is not in the interest of the Mexico.”

The immigration issue has caused increasing strain between Mexico and the U.S., particularly over President Trump's pledge to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it. The fallout over the issue led Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to cancel a trip to the U.S. recently.

In Washington, White House spokesman Sean Spicer, in response to question about immigration, was asked Wednesday Tillerson and Kelly were on a cleanup mission with Mexico.

“I would argue that we have a very healthy and robust relationship with the Mexican government and Mexican officials," Spicer said. "I think they would echo that same sentiment. I think the relationship with Mexico is phenomenal right now. I believe there’s an unbelievable and robust dialogue between our two nations.”

nder the Obama administration, a process known as an "expedited removal" was used mostly along the southwest border. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrols agents were able to quickly deport undocumented immigrants caught within 100 miles of the border who had arrived in the U.S. in the previous two weeks.

Most undocumented immigrants caught entering the country have been placed in detention or released on bond while their deportation cases proceeded. That practice, dubbed "catch and release," led to many undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. and skipping out on their court cases.

Under the new guidelines, people caught entering the country will be placed in jail while their deportation cases are processed. Homeland Security plans to hire 10,000 ICE agents and build new detention facilities along the southwest border, and more immigration judges and staff will be hired to speed up cases. </s> Mexico has condemned new guidelines issued by the United States on deporting undocumented immigrants.

Under plans unveiled by the Trump administration on Tuesday, almost all people staying in the US illegally can be subject to deportation.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said his country could not "accept unilateral decisions imposed by one government on another."

The row comes as two top US officials are preparing to visit Mexico.

The White House said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the head of Homeland Security, John Kelly, would talk to Mexican officials and "walk through" the implementation of the new immigration guidelines.

They include plans to enforce an existing provision of the US Immigration and Nationality Act that allows authorities to send undocumented migrants back to Mexico, regardless of where they are from.

It is unclear whether the US has authority to force Mexico to accept foreigners.

But Mr Videgaray said on Wednesday: "We are not going to accept that because we don't have to and it is not in the interest of Mexico."

Mr Videgaray also warned the US about treatment of Mexican citizens.

"The Mexican government will not hesitate in going to international organisations, starting with the United Nations, to defend human rights, liberties and due process for Mexicans abroad according to international law."

Mr Tillerson and Mr Kelly were scheduled to discuss a range of issues with President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday, but Mr Videgaray said the new changes to policy would now dominate the discussion.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Wednesday that he expected a "great discussion".

Read more from BBC News on the Trump administration and immigration:
• A Mexican man killed himself, hours after being deported from the US
• How an updated executive order expected soon from President Trump will attempt to revive the travel ban struck down by the courts
• National Park Service police are investigating after a giant "Refugees Welcome" banner was illegally attached to the Statue of Liberty

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the US, many of them from Mexico. President Donald Trump made immigration and border control a key part of his campaign.

The new priorities are broad enough to apply to almost any illegal immigrant, including anyone who has been charged with a crime, misrepresented themselves, poses a risk to public safety, or "have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits".

The new guidelines also allow Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport people immediately.

Expedited deportations can now be used against undocumented immigrants who are unable to prove they have been in the country for more than two years, anywhere in the US.

Previously, expedited removals were applied to people who had been in the country for less than two weeks and were within 100 miles of the border. </s> MEXICO CITY: Mexico will not accept new "unilateral" U.S. immigration proposals, and will not hesitate in approaching the United Nations to defend immigrants, the country's Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting with senior U.S. officials.

Videgaray said the new U.S. proposals would be the main point of discussion for upcoming meetings, which will take place between Mexican officials, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mexico opens legal aide centers in its 50 U.S. consulates to defend its citizens' rights amid the United States "crackdown" on illegal immigration. In a video, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso said Mexico supports following the law but notes that current circumstances highlight the need for immigration reform.