Mexicans Fear Trump Will Make Good on His Money Transfer Block

Sporting a chunky gold Jesus medallion around his neck and an earring that spells out his name in diamond studs, José discusses the particulars of his shipping business with a reporter during a November meeting in a Brooklyn parking lot. Sitting in his Lincoln Navigator, with his window rolled down, José—who asks that his last name not be printed—says he charges $350 per piece to transport suitcases on flights from New York to Mexican states such as Puebla and Tlaxcala. That’s steep, but for some of the 11.7 million Mexicans living in the U.S., it’s a more reliable way of sending high-value items (electronics and medicines, for instance) without running the risk that relatives have to ransom a shipment trapped at customs.

José’s door-to-door service has its perils: Clients sometimes also stuff gold jewelry or cash inside their luggage, which Mexican customs officers can confiscate. Still, business could boom if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his campaign threat to block the estimated 6.2 million undocumented Mexican immigrants from sending money home, as a way to force Mexico to foot the bill for his border wall.