Washington The Trump administration’s intentions to deport immigrants to Mexico were at least temporarily thwarted Thursday when Mexico refused to allow a U.S. military plane to land, according to two U.S. defense officials and a third person with knowledge of the matter.
According to the sources, deportees were flown out of the United States Thursday night on two Air Force C-17s headed for Guatemala, each carrying roughly 80 passengers. Mexico was the destination of the third trip, which never got off.
The reason Mexico blocked the aircraft was not immediately apparent, but since President Donald Trump’s victory in the November election, tensions have increased between the United States and Mexico, longtime allies and neighbors. Trump has threatened to impose 25% universal taxes on Mexico in punishment for migrants who cross their shared border. However, he hasn’t implemented them yet.
In a text message, a White House official stated that the flight problem was an administrative one that was promptly fixed.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted, “Yesterday, Mexico accepted a record 4 deportation flights in 1 day!” following the publication of this report.
Whether they were private, commercial, or military flights was not made clear by a White House official.
The four deportation flights that Mexico approved on Thursday were operated by Ice Air Operations and were government-chartered airplanes, not military planes, a Department of Homeland Security official subsequently informed NBC News.
The administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stated that it is against Trump’s “unilateral” actions to impose harsh immigration laws, such as reintroducing the “remain in Mexico” policy, which compels migrants to remain in Mexico while their asylum claims are being considered. In order to fly deportees into another country, the government of that country must cooperate.
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not elaborate in a statement on the reasons behind the U.S. plane’s refusal to land in Mexico.
The statement said, “Mexico and the United States government have a very good relationship, and we cooperate on a wide range of issues, including migration, with respect for our sovereignty.” Regarding repatriations, we will always provide a warm welcome to Mexicans who come to our country. Mexico welcomes you.
Three flights carrying Guatemalan individuals who had been deported back to their homeland arrived in Guatemala on Friday from the United States. Two of Friday’s flights were on military aircraft, while the other was on a non-military jet, a Guatemalan Migration Institute official told NBC News. There were roughly 265 Guatemalans who came to Guatemala City in all from the three aircraft.
The military deportation flights are a component of a larger crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump administration, which was initiated by executive orders signed during his first week in office. He pledged during his campaign to halt illegal immigration into the United States and to carry out a large deportation campaign of undocumented immigrants who were already residing in the nation.
He has recruited the military to increase its border presence by 1,500 more soldiers in addition to the flights.