Mexican authorities reportedly stopped a US military plane from deporting illegal migrants following the start of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
According to American officials, a packed jet was unable to take off after authorities in Mexico refused to allow the deportation.
The plane was one of three scheduled to depart on Thursday, alongside two Guatemala-bound Air Force C-17s carrying over 150 people, as part of what Trump called the largest mass deportation effort in US history.
Deporting migrants to foreign countries requires permission from the receiving nation’s government, which Mexico declined to grant on Thursday.
The reason behind Mexico blocking the flight remains unclear. However, tensions between the U.S. and Mexico, two neighbouring and long-standing allies, have escalated since President Donald Trump’s election victory in November. Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican goods in response to migrants crossing their shared border.
A White House official stated via text that “the issue with the flights was administrative and was quickly resolved.”
Following the article’s publication, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted, “Yesterday, Mexico accepted a record 4 deportation flights in 1 day!”
In a statement, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide specifics about why the U.S. plane was denied entry.
“Mexico maintains a strong relationship with the United States and cooperates on various issues, including migration, while respecting our sovereignty,” the statement read. “Regarding repatriations, we always welcome Mexicans returning to their homeland with open arms. Mexico embraces you.”
