The first American flight carrying deportees from a third country arrives in Guatemala Donald Trump news

The flight carried three Hondurans and 56 Guatemalan nationals, according to Guatemala’s IGM migration agency.

Guatemala has received its first deportation flight from the United States carrying Guatemalan and foreign migrants, the country’s immigration authority has confirmed, as the administration of President Donald Trump continues its hard-line campaign against immigration.

The flight arrived on Friday, carrying three Hondurans and 56 Guatemalan nationals, according to Guatemala’s IGM migration agency. The Honduran passengers were taken to an immigration center before being transported to their home country.

The Guatemalan government said it remains open to receiving citizens from neighboring Central American countries deported by the United States as it seeks to strengthen relations with the Trump administration.

Earlier this year, President Bernardo Arevalo’s government approved a budget increase Number of deportation flights It will be received after the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Arevalo also noted that Guatemala is prepared to receive some noncitizens deported from the United States.

This is not the first time Guatemala has received deportation flights from the United States, with Guatemalan citizens being repatriated as early as January under the recent Trump administration.

Last month, a US judge ordered the Trump administration to refrain from deporting unaccompanied Guatemalan migrant children with active immigration cases while the legal challenge continues. The children, who arrived alone, remain in federal custody until their asylum claims are reviewed.

Arevalo criticized the ruling, saying he would continue working to repatriate children through a pilot program he discussed with Trump.

White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller condemned the judge’s decision, as the Trump administration moves forward with its broader deportation campaign.

Under the previous Joe Biden administration, the Central American country was handling about 14 flights a day. According to the Reuters news agency, nearly 66,000 Guatemalans will be deported from the United States during fiscal year 2024 — the highest number recorded in recent years.

Trump has made reducing immigration a major priority in his second term. His administration has pressured Central American and Caribbean countries to cooperate with U.S. deportation efforts.

In December, Trump approached several Caribbean governments, including those of the Bahamas, Grenada, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, to accept migrants from third countries, although the islands’ leaders rejected the proposal.

In June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland – even if they claim they may face danger there.