President Donald Trump’s deputies sent more than 2,000 Mexican migrants back to their home country by flying and bussing them 2,000 miles to Mexico’s far-southern border.
The process complies with deportation laws — but it also imposes a penalty on the migrants that may deter them from re-crossing the U.S. border. The route leaves deportees far from the U.S. border, making it more difficult for them to quickly attempt another crossing.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said Wednesday that 2,284 Mexican nationals removed from the United States have arrived in Guatemala so far this year before being transported to Mexico.
“They are arriving on planes carrying Guatemalan returnees, and what we have done is bring them in transit so that, in coordination with Mexican immigration authorities, we can return them to Mexican territory within 24 hours of their arrival in the country,” Arévalo said.
The deportees are not seeking asylum or refugee protection in Guatemala. Mexico or the United States pays for the transfers, according to Arévalo.
Mexico’s National Migration Institute confirmed that the United States has been sending Mexican deportees through Guatemala and Honduras, mostly since April. They are then taken by bus into southern Mexico.
“The reason is that the United States wants to prevent them from crossing back into its territory,” the agency said.
The Department of Homeland Security said the administration is using its legal authority to carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The administration “is utilizing all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history, just as President Trump promised,” DHS said.
Mexico has objected to the arrangement while working with the countries involved to bring its citizens home.
“The Mexican government has expressed its opposition to this practice to U.S. authorities and has reiterated that every Mexican citizen has the right to enter the country,” the Mexican Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Honduras has also received Mexican deportees. Government records reviewed by the Associated Press (AP) show 82 Mexicans arrived in San Pedro Sula on flights Aug. 13 and 15. Another 35 were scheduled to arrive Thursday.
The practice has expanded sharply this year. Guatemala received only 15 Mexican deportees in 2025, Arévalo said. Honduras had reported six as of February 2026.
Trump has reached agreements with several countries to receive or transfer migrants removed from the United States. Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico have participated in the arrangements.
The move drew praise online, with some saying the policy could make it harder for deported migrants to illegally return to the United States.