Guatemala has received over 2,000 Mexicans deported from Trump’s immigration crackdown

Guatemala has received over 2,000 Mexicans deported from Trump’s immigration crackdown The Guatemalan president emphasized the country does not function as a ‘safe third country’ and that financial costs are covered by either Mexican or US authorities - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Approximately 2,300 Mexican nationals deported from the U.S. have landed in Guatemala so far in 2026, President Bernardo Arevalo revealed during an interview broadcast late Wednesday. He explained that these individuals arrived alongside returning Guatemalan citizens before being swiftly transferred back to Mexico. Sending deported Mexican citizens to intermediary nations represents a fresh tactic by the Trump administration aimed at discouraging migration, a move that threatens to strain diplomatic ties with its neighbor. According to a CBS report earlier this week, U.S. authorities have been dispatching Mexicans to Guatemala and Honduras to deter illegal migration, even though Mexico remains willing to accept its citizens directly. "They are arriving in planes of Guatemalan returnees, and what we have done is process them as in transit, in coordination with the Mexican immigration authorities," Arevalo said. He noted that the arriving Mexicans remain in the country for under 24 hours without receiving shelter or refuge status, emphasizing that Guatemala does not function as a "safe third country" and that financial costs are covered by either Mexican or U.S. authorities. Requests for comment sent to Mexico's Foreign Ministry yielded no immediate response, though the department previously informed CBS that it rejects the deportation of Mexican citizens to third-party nations and has signed no agreements permitting the practice. Similarly, the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to inquiries. Honduras' Foreign Ministry stated it had no information regarding such deportations, while the nation's Returned Migrants Center told Reuters it had not processed any Mexican citizens. However, Telemundo, a U.S. Spanish-language television network, broadcast an interview Wednesday with 56-year-old Arturo Trejo from Mexico's Hidalgo state. Trejo said he was among dozens of Mexicans flown to Honduras before eventually being returned to Mexico. "They didn't tell us anything, just to get on the flight," Trejo told Telemundo. U.S. President Donald Trump won reelection in 2024 after pledging to curb illegal border crossings and execute mass deportations of individuals staying in the U.S. illegally. Many deportees have subsequently been removed through arrangements with third-party nations that are not their places of origin. Leaders in several small Caribbean island nations reported facing U.S. pressure to accept unpopular agreements to receive foreign deportees, whereas officials in El Salvador and Panama confirmed receiving U.S. payments. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments