The administration has been quietly deporting Mexican migrants to Guatemala and Honduras, a strategy that deviates from established norms and has drawn strong opposition from the Mexican government. According to two Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, U.S. immigration authorities have been flying these individuals to Central American nations rather than returning them to their home country, effectively bypassing Mexican territory.
These deportations, which have not been formally announced, have been ongoing for several months and have resulted in hundreds of Mexican citizens being sent to Honduras and Guatemala. While the precise number of affected individuals remains unclear, officials indicated that the policy is intended as a deterrent. By sending Mexican citizens further south and away from the U.S.-Mexico border, the administration aims to discourage illegal immigration.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry has formally voiced its opposition to this practice. The ministry emphasized that Mexico is willing to accept the return of all its nationals and does not have an agreement in place to allow for the deportation of its citizens to third countries. The statement noted, "The Government of Mexico accepts the return of all its nationals. It therefore rejects the deportation of Mexican nationals to third countries and has no such agreement in place. Mexico consistently takes the steps necessary to ensure the safe and dignified return of all its nationals to national territory."
A spokesperson for the DHS defended the administration’s broader immigration strategy, stating that the U.S. "is utilizing all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history."
Experts in immigration policy have characterized the move as unprecedented. While the U.S. has previously deported migrants to locations other than their home countries, such actions were typically reserved for cases where the home country restricted deportations or when migrants held specific legal protections. Historically, Mexico has accepted all U.S. deportations of its citizens and nationals from other countries. Researchers have described the current approach as "almost entirely punitive," noting that the strategy serves to make crossing the border more difficult while also broadcasting the potential consequences of remaining undocumented in the United States to encourage self-deportation.
Representatives for the governments of Honduras and Guatemala did not provide comments when contacted regarding these deportation arrangements.
"This is almost entirely punitive," said Adam Isacson, a researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America who studies migration flows in the region.
"It's the same as the purpose of sending them to Ecuador or Africa or anywhere else: to broadcast the hardship, to make sure people know that this is a possible consequence of remaining undocumented in the United States and to encourage people to self-deport," Isacson said.
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