Guatemala reports 2,284 deported Mexicans arrived in transit from United States

Transit operations in Guatemala

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced that 2,284 Mexican nationals deported from the United States have landed in Guatemala so far in 2026. Arévalo explained during a broadcast interview that these individuals arrive on charter flights alongside returning Guatemalan nationals. The deported Mexicans remain in Guatemala solely on a transit basis for less than 24 hours before border officials transfer them onward to Mexico. Arévalo clarified that the travelers receive neither long-term shelter nor refugee status during their brief stopover, noting that Guatemala does not serve as a safe third country. Transportation costs for moving the deportees to Mexican territory are funded by either the United States or Mexico under bilateral coordination.

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.

Third-country deportation strategy

The flights are part of a broader removal campaign implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump following his 2024 reelection. Reports by CBS News citing two U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials revealed that immigration agencies have flown Mexican citizens across Mexican airspace to drop-off locations in Central America instead of sending them directly across the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration has also utilized third-country arrangements across the Americas to remove undocumented individuals. Adam Isacson, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, stated that routing deportees through third countries aims to deter future border crossings by increasing the physical distance back to the frontier. Under standard international migration practices, deported individuals are returned directly to their country of origin unless their home nation refuses to accept them.

Reports of flights to Honduras

In addition to Guatemala, deportees have also been transported to Honduras during 2026. Official Honduran government records cited by the Associated Press document 82 Mexican nationals sent to the country. Savi Arvey, policy director at Human Rights First, stated that the Trump administration began systematic deportations of Mexicans to Guatemala and Honduras in May 2026, with the organization identifying roughly 200 individuals routed through Honduras. While the Honduran Foreign Ministry and its Returned Migrants Center stated they had no records of processing Mexican nationals, individuals subjected to the flights confirmed the practice. Arturo Trejo, a 56-year-old native of Hidalgo state interviewed by Telemundo, described being flown to Honduras without advance notice before being repatriated to Mexico.

They didn't tell us anything, just to get on the flight.

Diplomatic pushback from Mexico

Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and Secretariat of the Interior issued a joint statement on Thursday registering formal opposition to the Central American flights. The Mexican government asserted that all Mexican nationals have an unconditional right to enter their home territory directly. Mexican diplomats stated that they have delivered formal objections to Washington while organizing transfers with Central American counterparts to ensure the safety and dignity of citizens caught in third-country deportations. The ministry did not disclose the total financial expenditure or the full count of individuals affected across all routes.

The Mexican government has expressed its opposition to this practice to US authorities and has reiterated that every Mexican citizen has the right to enter the country.