U.S. secretly ships Mexican migrants to Guatemala and Honduras, sparking Mexico's protest

According to two Department of Homeland Security staff who asked to remain anonymous, the United States has been quietly moving Mexican migrants to Guatemala and Honduras rather than sending them back to Mexico. The transfers, carried out by air across Mexican land, have been occurring for several months and involve an unspecified number of hundreds of Mexican citizens. The stated aim is to discourage illegal immigration by sending individuals farther from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mexico’s foreign ministry issued a statement rejecting the practice, emphasizing that the country accepts the return of all its nationals and has no agreement to send them to third countries. Department of Homeland Security representatives did not answer questions about the operation. Migration scholars described the tactic as a novel, punitive deterrent, comparable to past deportations to distant third countries. Requests for comment from the authorities of Guatemala and Honduras have not been answered.