Guatemala to Increase Deportation Flights from US Following Rubio Visit
Guatemala has agreed to significantly increase the number of deportation flights it receives from the United States, including accepting non-citizens, following a visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Al Jazeera reports.
The agreement marks a key victory for President Donald Trump’s administration in its efforts to curb irregular migration to the US.
During a joint press conference on Wednesday, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo announced a 40% increase in deportation flights from the US.
“We have agreed to increase by 40 percent the number of flights of deportees both of our nationality as well as deportees from other nationalities,” Arevalo said.
While Guatemala has previously accepted deportation flights from the US under the Biden administration, the renewed commitment under Trump signals a strengthened partnership on immigration enforcement. Since taking office on January 20, Trump has actively pressured countries in the region to bolster his anti-immigration policies.
According to a Guatemalan official speaking anonymously to Reuters, the country received approximately 14 deportation flights per day under the previous administration. It remains unclear how much that number will increase under the new agreement. Reuters also noted that nearly 66,000 Guatemalans were deported from the US in fiscal year 2024, surpassing any single year during Trump’s first term (2017-2021).
Rubio’s visit to Guatemala was part of a broader regional tour aimed at garnering support for Trump’s immigration agenda. He previously traveled to Panama, El Salvador, and Costa Rica and is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic next.
Rubio praised Arevalo for agreeing to accept non-citizens into Guatemala, a move that addresses a challenge faced by the Trump administration in finding countries willing to accept deportees, particularly those from Venezuela and Cuba, which have refused to participate in US deportation efforts.
“His willingness to accept not just nationals but those from other nationalities as they seek to ultimately return to their own homelands is also important, and we’ve pledged our support with those efforts,” Rubio said, indicating that the US would offer financial support to Guatemala to facilitate the return of non-citizens to their home countries.
President Arevalo clarified that the issue of accepting migrants with criminal records was not discussed during the meeting.
The agreement comes a day after El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele offered to jail violent offenders sent by the US, including migrants and US citizens. While Rubio publicly thanked Bukele for the offer, he acknowledged potential legal obstacles within the US Constitution.
Meanwhile, the US has begun sending undocumented immigrants to its military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a move that has drawn criticism due to the site’s history of alleged human rights abuses.
