People walk toward the Returnees Reception Center upon arrival on the third flight of citizens deported from the United States at the Guatemalan Air Force base in Guatemala City, Guatemala on January 6. File Photo by Mariano Macz/EPA
Aug. 21 (UPI) — Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said Guatemala has received 2,284 Mexican nationals deported from the United States this year.
Arévalo confirmed the figure after international media outlets, including CBS News, reported details about the repatriation operations carried out under the U.S. administration.
“What we have done is admit them in transit so that, in coordination with Mexican immigration authorities, they can return and enter Mexican territory less than 24 hours after arriving in the country,” Arévalo said at a news conference Wednesday night.
Arévalo also rejected the suggestion that the procedure could constitute a safe third-country arrangement because the Mexican nationals remain in Guatemala only temporarily before continuing to their home country, local newspaper Prensa Libre reported.
Until recently, Mexican nationals deported from the United States mostly were sent directly back to Mexico, with only a small number routed through other countries.
The Trump administration has used third-country deportations to remove migrants from the United States, signing bilateral agreements with several countries, including Mexico, to receive migrants from other nations.
Arévalo said expenses associated with the Mexican nationals arriving in Guatemala are covered by the Mexican government or, in some cases, by the U.S. government.
The president said the procedure has been carried out more consistently in 2026, with Guatemalan authorities coordinating with the Mexican government to return the deportees to their country.
Arévalo, however, did not explain whether a specific agreement with the United States provides the basis for the arrangement, despite being asked by a journalist what agreement established the procedure and when it was negotiated. He focused his response on the migrants’ transit status and coordination with Mexican authorities.
Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry objected Thursday to the U.S. practice and said it was coordinating with the countries involved to ensure the safe repatriation of Mexican nationals, DW reported.
“The Mexican government has expressed its opposition to this practice to U.S. authorities and has reiterated that every Mexican citizen has the right to enter the country,” the ministry said.
The ministry did not provide details on the number of cases or the costs involved.