Two US military planes carrying deported migrants arrived in Guatemala on Friday, marking the beginning of what the White House has described as the largest deportation operation in US history.
According to Guatemala’s migration institute, the first flight, which landed around midnight, carried 79 Guatemalans—48 men and 31 women. A second flight arrived Friday morning, though the number of deportees on board was not disclosed.
The White House announced on Thursday that 538 “illegal immigrant criminals” had been arrested, with hundreds already deported via military aircraft. However, Guatemalan officials have not confirmed whether those on Friday’s flights were part of this large-scale operation.
“These are flights that took place after Trump took office,” an official from the Guatemalan vice president’s office told AFP. A Pentagon source also confirmed that two Department of Defense aircraft conducted repatriation flights overnight.
Early Friday, the White House posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) showing detainees in shackles boarding a military aircraft, with the caption: “Deportation flights have begun.”
Deportations were also common under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, whose administration removed approximately 270,000 people in fiscal year 2023—more than any single year during Trump’s first term.
Upon arrival, the deportees were transported to a reception center at an air force base in Guatemala’s capital, where media access was restricted.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has implemented a series of strict immigration policies, including declaring a “national emergency” at the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying more troops, and reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy. This policy requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their applications are processed.
The administration has also suspended an asylum program for individuals fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands stranded on the Mexican side of the border.
