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Latin American countries vow to 'defend' migrants in US


Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico have vowed to "defend" their nationals in the United States amid uncertainty following the election victory of anti-migrant Donald Trump. 
Trump promised during his presidential campaign to expel undocumented immigrants in the United States and build a wall on the US-Mexico border.
"We have agreed on the need to convey a message of calm and tranquility to our civilians, to reaffirm that we will be closer than ever to accompany and defend them," said Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu on Monday.
She met her colleagues from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras in Guatemala City to discuss the issue which affects some six million nationals living in the US -- the majority of them without legal residence. 
The ministers said they would enhance their consular presence in various American cities and seek the support of local organizations and authorities to defend the rights of migrants.
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales described the actions as "measures to be alert," and not intended to "push the panic button" as US immigration policies have not yet changed.
Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez said they would continue to work with the incoming US administration on a project designed to tackle poverty and security issues that fuel illegal migration.
However, the foreign ministers did not comment on Trump's pledge to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and force the neighboring government to pay for it.
US president Barack Obama said on Saturday he did not anticipate "major changes" in policy towards Latin America under Trump's administration. 
The economies of the three Central American countries known as the Northern Triangle depend heavily on remittances that migrants send back to their families.

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