WASHINGTON – Mexico refused to allow a U.S. military plane to land on Thursday, at least temporarily derailing the Trump administration’s plans to deport immigrants from the country, according to two U.S. defense officials and a third person with knowledge of the situation.
Two Air Force C-17 planes grounded in Guatemala, carrying about 80 people each, flew the deportees out of the US on Thursday night, sources said. The third flight, destined for Mexico, did not take off.
It is not clear why Mexico blocked the flight, but tensions between the US and Mexico, longtime neighbors and allies, have increased since President Donald Trump won the November election. Trump has threatened to slap a 25% tariff on Mexico in retaliation for migrants crossing the border the countries share. But he has not put them to work.
A White House official said in a message that “the flight incident was an administrative issue and was quickly resolved.”
After this article was published, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt tweeted, “Yesterday, Mexico accepted a record 4 flights of deportations in one day!”
A White House official did not specify whether the planes were military, commercial or private.
The government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she opposes Trump’s “unilateral” move to implement restrictive immigration standards – including the reinstatement of the “stay in Mexico” policy that forces immigrants to stay in that country while they await the adjudication of their asylum applications. Transporting deportees by plane to another country requires the cooperation of that country’s government.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico did not elaborate on why the American plane was not allowed to land in the country.
“Mexico has an excellent relationship with the United States government and we cooperate with respect for our sovereignty on many different issues, including immigration,” the statement read. in our field with open arms. Mexico welcomes you.”
On Friday, Guatemala received three flights from the US with Guatemalans who had been repatriated. A spokesperson for the Guatemalan Migration Institute told NBC News that two of Friday’s flights were military aircraft and one was a non-military aircraft. The number of Guatemalans who arrived in Guatemala City from three flights was about 265.
The military deportation flights are part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration that has begun with executive orders signed in his first week in office. During his campaign, he vowed to stop illegal immigration to the US and pursue a campaign to deport undocumented immigrants already living in the country.
In addition to the aircraft, he has deployed the army to strengthen its presence on the border with 1,500 soldiers.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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