Arévalo confirms Guatemala received 2,284 Mexican deportees from US this year

Mexico objects to practice, says citizens have right to return

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said at a news conference Wednesday night that Guatemala has admitted 2,284 Mexican nationals deported from the United States so far in 2026, confirming figures CBS News had reported about the repatriation operations.

Arévalo described the procedure as a temporary transit arrangement. “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 the press conference.

The president rejected the characterization that the procedure amounts to a safe third-country agreement. Because Mexican nationals remain in Guatemala only briefly before continuing home, the arrangement does not meet that description, he said, according to local newspaper Prensa Libre.

Until recently, Mexican nationals deported from the United States were generally returned directly to Mexico, with only a small number routed through other countries. The Trump administration has used third-country deportations more broadly, signing bilateral agreements with several countries — including Mexico — to receive migrants from other nations.

Arévalo said the 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 procedure has been carried out more consistently in 2026, he said, with Guatemalan authorities coordinating with Mexico to return the deportees to their home country.

When a journalist asked whether a specific agreement with the United States establishes the procedure and when it was negotiated, Arévalo did not directly answer. He focused his response on the migrants’ transit status and the coordination with Mexican authorities.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry objected Thursday to the U.S. practice, DW reported, and said it was coordinating with the countries involved to ensure the safe repatriation of Mexican nationals. “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.