A secret tunnel discovered last week on the U.S.-Mexico border will be sealed by Mexican authorities, an army official in Ciudad Juarez said Saturday.

Some residents and business leaders in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez have reacted to threats by U.S. President Donald Trump of tariffs on Mexican imports. (AP/ Martín Silva Rey)

The US-Mexico border is effectively closed off to migrants seeking asylum in the United States within hours of President Donald Trump taking office, an extraordinary departure from previous protocols that has left many concerned migrants in limbo.

The Mexican government plans to establish nine reception areas for deportees in Mexico's six northern border states over the coming weeks.

General Jose Lemus, commander of Ciudad Juarez's military garrison, said the tunnel "must have taken a long time" to build, suggesting "it could have been one or two years".

Mexico erected sprawling tents on the United States border as it braced for the effects of Donald Trump’s mass deportation drive. In an empty lot in Ciudad Juarez, which neighbours Texas, cranes lifted metal frames for tent shelters.

Migrants in Mexico who were hoping to come to the U.S. are adjusting to a new and uncertain reality after President Donald Trump began cracking down on border security.

Mexico is preparing for the mass deportations President Donald Trump has promised with a program called "Mexico Embraces You."

The temporary shelters in Ciudad Juarez will have the capacity to house thousands of people and should be ready in a matter of days, said municipal official Enrique Licon.

Mexican authorities are building temporary shelters in Ciudad Juarez and other cities to prepare to receive nationals deported from the U.S. by President Donald Trump.

Mexico erected sprawling tents on the United States border as it braced for the effects of Donald Trump’s mass deportation drive. In an empty lot in Ciudad Juarez, which neighbours Texas, cranes lifted metal frames for tent shelters.