The U.S. has expelled around 2,300 Mexicans to Guatemala and sent a few more to Honduras this year, as per official records, marking a change from the early stages of President Donald Trump’s second term when such deportations were scarce. Previously, only a small number of Mexicans were removed from the U.S. to countries other than Mexico due to the non-refoulement principle observed in domestic immigration laws and international treaties. This principle involves not sending migrants back to their home countries or third-party nations where their human rights, safety, or freedom could be jeopardized based on race, religion, or nationality.
The Mexican National Migration Institute (INM) confirmed that Mexicans have been repatriated by the Trump administration to Guatemala and Honduras, mainly since April, and then transferred by bus to southern Mexico. The Mexican Foreign Ministry expressed disapproval of this action to U.S. authorities, emphasizing that every Mexican national has the right to enter the U.S.
The flow of migrants through Mexico to the southern U.S. border has often caused tensions between the countries. During Trump’s second term, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has protested against the deaths of 17 Mexicans in U.S. immigration detention or during enforcement operations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for immigration enforcement, stated that the administration is using all legal means to carry out extensive deportation operations, as promised by President Trump.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo disclosed that 2,284 deported Mexicans from the U.S. have transited through Guatemala this year before being returned to Mexico in coordination with Mexican immigration authorities, without any refugee or asylum status. Honduran authorities did not comment, but official documents revealed that 82 Mexicans deported from the U.S. arrived in San Pedro Sula on two flights in mid-August, with additional arrivals in subsequent days. According to the Third Country Deportation Watch website, 165 Mexicans were repatriated to Honduras between May and mid-July, monitored by NGOs Human Rights First and Refugees International.
Immigration lawyers believe the U.S. is using deportations to third countries as a legal tactic to indirectly compel asylum seekers to return to Mexico when direct deportation is not feasible due to court orders. This strategy appears aimed at pressuring the Mexican government to prevent Mexicans from crossing the border. At the start of his second term, Trump reached agreements with several countries to serve as transit or destination points for migrants from other countries expelled from the U.S.
In a separate development, the U.S. deported individuals to Haiti for the first time since a legal victory at the Supreme Court, also executing its initial deportation under an agreement for Liberia to accept up to 1,200 non-citizens. The Supreme Court ruling allowed the Trump administration to end the temporary protected status (TPS) program for Haitians and Syrians, impacting residents from multiple countries who received TPS after fleeing violence or disasters.
Haiti’s National Office of Migration reported the arrival of deportees, including some TPS holders, most of whom had resided legally in the U.S. since the 2010 earthquake. Concerns have been raised about deporting individuals to Haiti, given the country’s precarious conditions marked by widespread violence, poverty, and hunger. Liberia received deportees from various regions, offering them the option to seek asylum if desired. The U.S. State Department reiterated its commitment to curbing illegal immigration and enhancing border security.