Trump Administration Deports Hundreds of Mexicans to 2 Central American Countries
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 18
Trump Administration Deports Hundreds of Mexicans to 2 Central American Countries
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 18
Summary
Hundreds of Mexican citizens have been quietly flown by U.S. authorities to Guatemala and Honduras over recent months instead of being returned directly to Mexico, according to two DHS officials.
DHS officials said the transfers aim to deter illegal immigration by sending deportees farther from the U.S.-Mexico border and making another crossing harder.
Mexico's Foreign Ministry said it accepts the return of all its nationals, rejected third-country deportations of Mexicans, and said no such agreement exists.
Immigration experts called the practice unprecedented because Mexico has historically accepted all U.S. deportees from its own population, making the move appear primarily punitive.
The deportations fit the Trump administration's broader push to expand third-country removals as it pursues what DHS called the largest deportation operation in history.