No rise in deportations from US to Mexico thus far, Mexican foreign minister says

There has been no rise in deportations from the United States to Mexico under President Donald Trump, Mexico's foreign minister said on Monday.

In fact, the rate might be even slightly slower than the rate this time last year, under Barack Obama, Reuters reported Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray as saying in a television interview.

But, he said, the number of concerned phone calls Mexican consulates are receiving has at least tripled, with that figure "growing exponentially."

See photos of the existing border wall:

A previously scheduled meeting between Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was canceled amid a political spat. Trump spoke with Pena Nieto by phone Jan. 27, in a call during which "bilateral relations, border security and trade" were discussed, the White House said. A previous call between the two emphasized "respect for the sovereignty of both nations," the administration said.

Trump pledged as president-elect to move swiftly to deport 2 to 3 million immigrants in the United States who lack documentation and "are criminal and have criminal records." He said his administration would make a further "determination" on those remaining without documentation "after the border is secure and after everything gets normalized," without committing to further detail.

Some have pointed out that the 2 to 3 million figure is comparable to the roughly 2.5 million Obama deported during his entire administration.

Mexico City was the site of mass protests against both Trump and Pena Nieto on Sunday. Trump's perceived strength against Pena Nieto has emboldened Mexico's left, with some calling for the Mexican president to step down.

"I think the wall and the demagoguery of patriotism are no match for the dignity and humanity of the American people," leftist, anti-Trump Mexican politician Andrés Manuel López Obrador told a rally in Los Angeles on Sunday, shouting out "long live California" and hailing the state that broke heavily against Trump in November's election as "a refuge and blessing for immigrants."

Obrador has been labeled a "clear contender" to run for Mexican president in 2018, when Pena Nieto will be ineligible to run again due to term limits.

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