MEXICO CITY, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's government is investigating the cause behind a dramatic decline in remittances for April, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday, hinting at the U.S. immigration crackdown.
Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated large-scale detentions and deportations of undocumented migrants, citing national security concerns.
More recently, he proposed a bill to tax remittances -- the money migrants working in the United States send home. The proposal is currently under debate in the U.S. Senate.
On Monday, Mexico's central bank reported that remittances in April totaled 4.761 billion U.S. dollars, marking a 12.1 percent drop from a year earlier -- the steepest decline in over a decade.
Nearly all remittances to Mexico come from the United States, according to authorities.
"We are working to determine the cause of this decline," Sheinbaum said at a daily morning press briefing. "Until we have more information, we can't pinpoint the reason."
Sheinbaum suggested that Trump's immigration policies could contribute to the downturn, though she noted that the number of deported or returning Mexican nationals isn't "significant enough" to fully explain the drop.
"It's likely related to the new immigration policies implemented by President Trump, but let's not jump to conclusions. Once we have the full report, we'll share it with you," she added.
The government is consulting with organizations that support Mexicans in the United States to better understand the situation.
The decline in remittances comes amid a White House proposal to apply a 5 percent tax on money sent home by Mexicans. However, Sheinbaum's government has negotiated to reduce this to 3.5 percent. ■
