US sends 2,284 Mexican nationals to Guatemala in third-country removals

The United States has deported approximately 2,284 Mexican nationals to Guatemala this year, a move implemented despite formal objections from the Mexican government. Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo confirmed the arrivals on Wednesday, stating that the individuals are being processed in transit to be returned to Mexican territory within 24 hours of their arrival.

Arevalo noted that the deportees are arriving on planes carrying Guatemalan returnees and that the costs of repatriation are covered by either the Mexican or US government. He emphasised that the two countries are united by shared values, including shared security and “human mobility with dignity,” following a meeting with Guatemalan officials on Tuesday.

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Thursday expressing opposition to the practice, reiterating that every Mexican citizen has the right to enter the country. The ministry stated that it had expressed its opposition to US authorities, highlighting the inconsistency of the US justifying third-country removals on the grounds that immigrants cannot return home, when Mexico has consistently accepted deportations.

The removals are part of a growing trend of third-country deportations under the Trump administration, which has sent migrants and asylum seekers to countries they may have no connection to. Reports indicate that some Mexican nationals have also been transported to Honduras. Arturo Trejo, a Mexican man deported to Honduras, stated that he was not informed prior to boarding the flight, describing the experience as a lack of communication from authorities.

Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) stated that the US justified the practice as a form of deterrence to prevent migrants from crossing back into US territory. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to inquiries by stating it is “utilising all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history, just as President Trump promised.”

Human rights experts view the tactic as a means to instil fear in migrants. Ana Maria Mendez, the Central America director at migrants rights group WOLA, told Reuters that the broader trend seeks to “instill terror and fear in migrants at all costs.” The US and Mexico remain top trading partners, with a cross-border exchange of roughly $964.1bn in 2025 alone, creating a complex dynamic for Mexico as it balances cooperation on immigration enforcement with defending its citizens’ rights.

Since Trump returned to the presidency last year, at least 15 Mexican nationals have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, with another three dying during enforcement operations. The Mexican government has filed complaints with US state prosecutors and denounced conditions in ICE detention centres as “incompatible with human rights standards,” urging regular visits from Mexican consular officials.