The United States has transferred approximately 2,300 Mexican citizens to Guatemala this year, a move that has drawn significant opposition from the Mexican government as President Donald Trump accelerates his administration’s deportation agenda. Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo confirmed on Wednesday that his nation has processed 2,284 Mexican nationals who were flown in alongside returning Guatemalan citizens.
President Arevalo explained that these individuals are held in transit, with the Mexican and US governments covering the costs of their swift repatriation to Mexico, which typically occurs within 24 hours of their arrival in Guatemala. Despite this logistical arrangement, Mexican officials have formally expressed their disapproval of the practice, emphasizing that every Mexican citizen maintains the right to enter their home country directly.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Thursday that it has communicated its opposition to US authorities. Following discussions with Guatemalan officials on Tuesday, the ministry reaffirmed that the two nations are committed to shared security and the principle of “human mobility with dignity.”
The US Department of Homeland Security defended the strategy, stating it is “utilising all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history, just as President Trump promised.” According to Mexico’s National Migration Institute, US officials have justified the policy as a necessary deterrent to prevent migrants from attempting to re-enter American territory.
The scope of these third-country removals appears to be expanding, with reports indicating that some Mexican nationals have also been transported to Honduras. Arturo Trejo, a Mexican citizen who experienced this process, told the television network Telemundo that he was given no information other than instructions to board the flight.
Human rights advocates have condemned the policy, characterizing it as an intimidation tactic. Ana Maria Mendez, the Central America director at the rights group WOLA, described the trend as part of a broader, severe migration policy designed to “instill terror and fear in migrants at all costs.”
This diplomatic friction occurs against the backdrop of a massive economic relationship between the US and Mexico, which saw a cross-border trade exchange of roughly $964.1 billion in 2025. Since President Trump returned to office, the Mexican government has attempted to balance cooperation on immigration enforcement with the protection of its citizens’ rights.
Concerns regarding the treatment of detainees have intensified, with reports of excessive force during immigration raids. Data indicates that at least 15 Mexican nationals have died in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since the start of the current administration, with an additional three fatalities occurring during enforcement operations.
In response to these incidents, the Mexican government has filed formal complaints with US state prosecutors. Officials have also denounced the conditions within ICE detention centers as “incompatible with human rights standards,” repeatedly urging the US to allow regular access for Mexican consular representatives to monitor the welfare of detainees. The report also notes that “They are arriving on planes carrying Guatemalan returnees,” Arevalo said in a news conference. The report also notes that “In coordination with the Mexican government, what we have done is bring them through in transit so that we can return them to Mexican territory within 24 hours of their arrival in the country.”. The report also notes that but Mexican officials voiced concern about the US sending its citizens to third-party countries. The report also notes that which has consistently accepted deportations from the US, but that is not the case with Mexico. The report also notes that effectively stranding migrants and asylum seekers far from home, critics have blasted the third-country removals as a form of punishment.
Source: Al Jazeera
