Official announcements from the U.S. or Mexican governments or reports by major news outlets

Mexico Accepts Record Four U.S. Deportation Flights After Initial Refusal Due to Miscommunication

Jan 25, 2025, 12:36 AM

On Thursday, Mexico reportedly denied a U.S. military deportation flight permission to land, temporarily halting the Trump administration's plans to deport immigrants to the country, according to sources cited by NBC News. The refusal was said to have frustrated efforts to return migrants as part of President Donald Trump's intensified immigration policies. While two Air Force flights carrying approximately 80 deportees each successfully departed to Guatemala, the flight to Mexico did not proceed. However, the White House later refuted these reports. Press Secretary stated that Mexico accepted a record four deportation flights in a single day on Thursday, in addition to unrestricted returns at the land border and the deportation of non-Mexicans. She added that Mexico has mobilized 30,000 National Guard troops and is cooperating in the reinstatement of the Remain-in-Mexico policy. A senior State Department official clarified that a miscommunication and confusion around the Department of Defense manifest led to Mexico's initial rejection of the flight. The official emphasized that Mexico has been accepting deportation flights and land returns at the border.