On Friday, two U.S. military planes carrying dozens of expelled migrants arrived in Guatemala, though authorities did not confirm whether the flights were part of the deportation operation initiated by President Donald Trump.
The first flight, which landed around midnight, brought 79 Guatemalan nationals — 48 men and 31 women, according to the country’s migration institute. The second flight, which arrived Friday morning, carried an undisclosed number of migrants.
Late Thursday, the White House announced that 538 “illegal immigrant criminals” were arrested, and hundreds had been deported via military aircraft. They called it "the largest massive deportation operation in history," signalling the operation was in full swing.
However, the Guatemalan government did not confirm whether any of the deportees on Friday’s flights were part of this group. A Guatemalan vice presidential office official told AFP that “these are flights that took place after Trump took office.”
A Pentagon source also confirmed the flights, stating that “overnight, two Department of Defense (DOD) aircraft conducted repatriation flights from the U.S. to Guatemala.”
Earlier Friday, the White House posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) showing men in shackles being escorted onto a military aircraft, with the caption: “Deportation flights have begun.”
Deportation flights were a regular occurrence under President Joe Biden as well, whose administration deported about 270,000 people in the 2023 fiscal year, surpassing the total during Trump’s first term.
The deportees from Friday’s flights were taken to a reception centre at an air force base in Guatemala City, away from the media's view.
During his election campaign, Trump vowed to take strong action on illegal immigration and began his second term with a series of executive orders focused on tightening U.S. border policy. On his first day in office, he declared a “national emergency” at the southern border and ordered the deployment of additional troops. He also announced plans to reinstate the "Remain in Mexico" policy, requiring applicants for U.S. entry to stay in Mexico until their cases were decided.
Additionally, the White House has suspended an asylum program for individuals fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands stranded in Mexico.
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