Guatemala Receives First Group of Foreign Deportees Under New U.S. Deportation Drive

TDT | Manama

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Guatemala has received its first group of foreign deportees from the United States, fulfilling a pledge made to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, officials confirmed on Friday.

The Trump administration has intensified its mass deportation campaign, repatriating undocumented migrants while also partnering with select governments to accept foreign nationals — a move that has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.

According to Guatemala’s Migration Institute, the country welcomed a flight carrying three Honduran nationals and 56 Guatemalan citizens. The Honduran deportees will be transferred to their home country through coordination with Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure what officials described as a “dignified reception.”

Guatemala, one of the main sources of migration to the U.S., has already been receiving regular deportation flights carrying Guatemalan nationals since President Donald Trump returned to office in January.

In 2024, under former President Joe Biden’s administration, Guatemala received 508 flights from the United States, carrying a total of 61,680 deported Guatemalans.

During a February visit by Secretary Rubio, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo pledged to cooperate with Washington by increasing the number of deportation flights for “returning nationals and foreign citizens.”

While the new policy underscores growing U.S.-Guatemala collaboration, it also marks a shift from previous U.S. approaches that sought to tackle the root causes of migration through development and humanitarian support in Central America.