US Deports Nearly 2,300 Mexicans to Guatemala Despite Mexican Government Objections

The United States has deported approximately 2,300 Mexican nationals to Guatemala, despite objections from the Mexican government, as part of an escalation in deportation efforts under President Donald Trump.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo confirmed on Wednesday that his country has received around 2,284 Mexican nationals deported from the U.S. this year.

“They are arriving on planes carrying Guatemalan returnees,” Arévalo said during a press conference.

“In coordination with the Mexican government, we have facilitated their transit so they can be returned to Mexican territory within 24 hours of their arrival,” he added.

These deportations reflect a growing trend of third-country removals under the Trump administration, which has increasingly sent migrants and asylum seekers to countries where they may have no prior connection.

The Trump administration has largely justified these actions by claiming that affected individuals cannot safely return to their countries of origin. However, this rationale does not apply to Mexicans, who have historically been repatriated directly by the U.S.

Human rights advocates have criticized these third-country deportations as punitive measures that effectively strand vulnerable populations far from their homes.

Regarding the Mexican nationals sent to Guatemala, Arévalo stated that deportees are swiftly returned to Mexico, with transportation costs covered by either the Mexican or U.S. government.

Nevertheless, Mexican officials have expressed concern over the U.S. relocating its citizens to third nations without prior consultation.

“The Mexican government has formally objected to this practice with U.S. authorities and reiterates that all Mexican citizens retain the right to enter their home country,” said Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Thursday.

Following discussions with Guatemalan counterparts on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry emphasized that both nations are united in shared values such as mutual security and dignified human migration.

Guatemala is not the sole recipient of Mexican deportees in recent months; reports indicate that some individuals have also been transported to Honduras.

“They didn’t tell us anything, just to get on the flight,” said Arturo Trejo, a Mexican man deported to Honduras, in an interview with Telemundo.

Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) told The Associated Press that the U.S. justified the practice as a deterrent strategy.

“The reason is that the United States aims to prevent them from re-entering its territory,” the INM explained.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to inquiries by stating it is utilizing all lawful options to carry out what it describes as “the largest deportation operation in history, just as President Trump promised.”

However, many human rights experts view the third-country deportation of Mexicans as an intimidation tactic.

“What we are witnessing appears to be part of a broader shift toward an increasingly restrictive U.S. migration policy aimed at instilling fear and deterring migrants at every level,” said Ana María Fernández, Central America director at the migrants’ rights organization WOLA, speaking to Reuters.

As neighboring countries, the U.S. and Mexico have long maintained a close bilateral relationship. The two nations remain each other’s largest trading partners, with over $964 billion in bilateral trade recorded in 2025.

Since Trump’s return to office last year, however, the Mexican government has had to navigate a delicate balance—cooperating with U.S. immigration enforcement while safeguarding the rights of its citizens.

Critics have accused immigration authorities of employing excessive force during raids, and analysts have observed a rise in fatalities among detainees held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Since Trump resumed the presidency, at least 15 Mexican nationals have died in ICE custody, with an additional three fatalities occurring during enforcement operations.

In response, the Mexican government has filed legal complaints with U.S. state prosecutors and has publicly condemned conditions inside ICE detention facilities as incompatible with human rights standards, urging ongoing consular access to detained Mexicans.

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