Expelled by Trump’s new immigration policy, hundreds of Guatemalan nationals reach homeland

265 Guatemalan nationals arrived in Guatemala on Friday aboard US military aircraft as part of deportation efforts by the US government following changes to immigration policy under the new Donald Trump administration, the Central American country's migration institute said.

According to the AFP report, these individuals were sent back to their home country on three flights, two of which were military-operated and one chartered. This comes as part of President Donald Trump’s push to tighten border security and reduce illegal immigration. The White House has made it clear that the focus of these deportations is on individuals deemed "criminal aliens" with a history of violent crimes.


On Thursday, the US also sent four deportation flights to Mexico during the crackdown, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X. However, reports from US media suggest that one of these planes may have been turned away by Mexican authorities. The Mexican government has yet to confirm this but reiterated that it is ready to collaborate with the US in deporting its citizens. A statement from Mexico’s foreign ministry made it clear that they would accept deported nationals “with open arms,” reported AFP.


The White House has said it arrested over 1,000 people in just two days, with hundreds of them being deported by military aircraft. The operation is being referred to as the largest deportation initiative in US history.

In comparison, during the administration of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, deportations were a regular part of US immigration policy, with 270,000 deportations recorded in 2024 alone, according to AFP.

Trump, who had promised to tackle illegal immigration during his election campaign, began his second term with a series of executive actions aimed at curbing border crossings.