Overview
- Guatemala’s president confirmed late Wednesday that roughly 2,300 Mexican nationals deported from the United States arrived in Guatemala in 2026 and were held there under 24 hours as transit stopovers before being returned to Mexico.
- Mexico’s foreign ministry has formally rejected the practice and said it has no agreement allowing U.S. deportations of Mexican citizens to third countries while its migration agency said the transfers began mainly in April.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have defended an expanded removal campaign as using lawful options for large deportations but have not publicly detailed legal arrangements or specific authority for these third‑country transfers.
- Human rights groups and migration lawyers say the tactic appears aimed at deterring re‑entry by placing deportees farther from the U.S. border and warn it may bypass asylum protections or expose migrants to harm.
- Reporting shows the transfers have used flights that carry Guatemalan returnees, that some costs are covered by Mexican or U.S. funds, and that similar, smaller flows to Honduras have been documented by officials and NGOs.