After reports of Mexico's refusal to give landing access to a US military plane carrying illegal migrants, the country's foreign ministry said it is 'ready to work with' Washington as the administration of President Donald Trump deports Mexican citizens.
"We will always accept the arrival of Mexicans to our territory with open arms," the ministry said in a statement on Friday (Jan 24), a day after the White House said in an X post that Mexico had accepted four deportation flights in one day, which is a record.
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US-Mexico tensions on the rise after Trump’s victory
But there were reports that Mexico blocked landing access to at least one US military plane carrying deported migrants. The reason was not immediately clear. Later, a White House official said “the flights thing was an administrative issue and was quickly rectified.”
Tensions between the two neighbours and longtime allies have increased since Donald Trump won the recent election and took charge as US president.
The Republican leader had threatened to slap 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico in retaliation for migrants crossing the border. But he has not yet put that into effect.
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Mexican President opposes Trump’s actions
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's government has opposed Trump's plans to unilaterally impose the strict immigration stance, including the reinstatement of the "remain in Mexico" policy.
This policy forces migrants to stay in Mexico while awaiting results of their asylum claims.
Flying deportees into a foreign country requires the cooperation of that nation's government.
Meanwhile, Guatemala on Friday received three flights from the US. The planes carried Guatemalan nationals sent back to their home country.
A spokesperson for the Guatemalan Migration Institute told NBC News that two of Friday's flights were military aircraft and the third was non-military, carrying a total of 265 Guatemalans.
The military deportation flights are part of a broader Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration that has been set in motion with executive orders signed in his first week in office.
Additionally, the US President has enlisted the military to beef up its presence on the border with an additional 1,500 troops.
(With inputs from agencies)