Trump picks Ron Johnson as US ambassador to Mexico

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By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President-elect Donald Trump has picked former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Ronald Johnson, as the next United States ambassador to Mexico, he said on social media on Tuesday.

Johnson served as the ambassador to El Salvador from 2019 to 2021. Trump also cited Johnson’s more than 20 years of experience with the CIA in his announcement.

Trump made illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border a key issue during his election campaign.

Mexico has played a key role in implementing U.S. immigration policy in recent years, accepting migrants from countries to which the U.S. struggles to deport people, such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

U.S. government estimates, though, also suggest nearly half of the immigrants living in the U.S. illegally are Mexican.

“Ron will work closely with our great Secretary of State Nominee, Marco Rubio, to promote our Nation’s security and prosperity through strong America First Foreign Policies,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has been tapped by Trump for secretary of state.

Mexico is bracing for the arrival of large numbers of its citizens deported from the U.S. once Trump takes office in January. It has argued, however, the deportations are unnecessary, pointing to the contribution of Mexicans to the U.S. economy.

Mexico is seeking an agreement with Trump to ensure it does not receive deportees from third countries in case of large-scale deportations of migrants from the United States, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday.

Trump has threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico until they clamped down on drugs and migrants crossing the border.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Tom Hogue)