The United States has transferred approximately 2,300 Mexican nationals to Guatemala this year, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the Mexican government. Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo confirmed the figures on Wednesday, noting that his country has processed 2,284 Mexican citizens who were removed from the US.
Addressing the logistics of these transfers, President Arevalo explained that the individuals arrive on flights alongside returning Guatemalan citizens. He stated that his administration coordinates with Mexican authorities to ensure these individuals are in transit, allowing them to be returned to Mexican territory within 24 hours of their arrival in Guatemala.
While the Trump administration maintains that these actions are part of a broader, lawful effort to execute the largest deportation operation in history, the policy has sparked significant diplomatic friction. Mexican officials have formally expressed their opposition to the practice, asserting that their citizens have a fundamental right to enter their own country. The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the two nations are linked by shared security interests and a commitment to “human mobility with dignity.”
The practice of third-country removals is not limited to Guatemala; reports indicate that some Mexican nationals have also been transported to Honduras. Arturo Trejo, a Mexican man deported to Honduras, told the television network Telemundo that he was given no information about his destination and was simply instructed to board the flight.
The US Department of Homeland Security has defended the strategy as a necessary deterrent, suggesting that moving migrants to third countries prevents them from immediately attempting to cross back into the United States. However, human rights advocates argue that the policy is designed to instill fear. Ana Maria Mendez, the Central America director at the rights group WOLA, described the trend as part of a severe migration policy intended to intimidate migrants at any cost.
This diplomatic strain occurs against the backdrop of a massive economic relationship, with the two countries recording a cross-border trade exchange of approximately $964.1 billion in 2025. Since President Trump returned to office, the Mexican government has struggled to balance cooperation on immigration enforcement with the protection of its citizens’ rights.
Concerns regarding the treatment of detainees have intensified as well. Since the start of the current administration, at least 15 Mexican nationals have died while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with an additional three deaths occurring during enforcement operations. In response to these incidents, Mexico has filed formal complaints with US state prosecutors and has repeatedly denounced conditions within ICE detention centers as being “incompatible with human rights standards,” while calling for more frequent access for consular officials. 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 largely, the Trump administration has justified such deportations by saying that the immigrants in question are unable to return to their home 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. The report also notes that the US and Mexico have long had a close relationship, as neighbours.
