Ron Johnson Nominated as US Ambassador to Mexico

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

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 and military career as a Green Beret in his announcement.

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

Ron will replace Kenneth Lee Salazar, who served as the United States ambassador to Mexico since September 2, 2021, appointed by current President Joseph Biden. “Congratulations Ron. Together, we will end immigration crimes, stop the illegal flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our country, and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!” Trump concluded.

Ron Johnson's Background

Johnson, who was born in Alabama but speaks Spanish, served as the United States Ambassador to El Salvador from September 6, 2019, to January 20, 2021, having been appointed by President Trump on July 3, 2019.

At the time of his appointment as ambassador to El Salvador, he served as the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) science and technology liaison to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM), headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

CIA & Military Background

“He had substantial involvement in a wide range of regional issues, including refugees, counternarcotics, counterterrorism, human rights, and tropical viral disease control. He lived in Latin America for more than five years and traveled extensively throughout the region,” the Trump administration said in a nomination sent to the U.S. Senate on May 15, 2019.

He holds a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York and a Master of Science from the National Intelligence University.

Prior to that, he served in the Alabama Army National Guard, enlisting as a private in 1971 and rising to the rank of Captain before joining the active duty Army in 1984. From 1984 to 1998 he served in the U.S. Army and retired as a Green Beret Colonel.

He also held other positions, including deputy special adviser to the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command from 2006 to 2008, and senior officer at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Possible Large Scale Deportations

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. A large amount of Venezuelan, Haitian and El Salvadorian migrants have travelled through Mexico to cross the US border.

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

Sources Reuters, Zeta Tijuana