Mexico's president filed a formal complaint with Washington after the National Migration Institute reported thousands of transfers to Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica before deportees' final return home. Official records from at least one of those countries turn out to be higher than what had been previously reported.
Key Takeaways
- Mexico filed a formal protest because, according to the National Migration Institute (INM), nearly 2,900 Mexicans deported from the U.S. were diverted this year to Guatemala and Honduras, plus 20 more to Costa Rica, before continuing their return home.
- Honduras' numbers are higher than initial reports suggested: the country's own migration institute confirmed 374 transfers as of August 22, more than double the 165 cases documented by human rights organizations between May and July.
- The INM says all deportees are already back in Mexico, but organizations like Human Rights First warn the mechanism can expose people who sought protection in the U.S. to legal risks.
Sheinbaum's Complaint at the National Palace
Mexico filed a formal protest with the U.S. government on Thursday after the National Migration Institute (INM) identified a pattern that accelerated throughout 2026: thousands of nationals deported from U.S. territory are not arriving directly in Mexico, but are instead being sent first to Central American countries. That morning, during her regular press conference at the National Palace, President Claudia Sheinbaum called the practice unnecessary: "There's no reason to send nationals to Central America," she said, adding that her government had already conveyed its objection to Washington through diplomatic channels.
It was INM chief Sergio Salomón Céspedes who revealed, during that same briefing, the number behind the complaint: roughly 2,900 Mexicans funneled toward Guatemala and Honduras so far this year, plus 20 people sent to Costa Rica. The official did not specify how many went to each of the first two countries. According to him, Mexico's Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry have spent months negotiating with their U.S. counterparts to stop the practice, though the transfers have continued despite those talks.
The Numbers, Country by Country
Guatemala: From 15 Cases in 2025 to Over Two Thousand in 2026
The most well-documented jump happened in Guatemala. President Bernardo Arévalo confirmed in mid-August that his country had received 2,284 deported Mexicans during 2026, compared with just 15 recorded in all of 2025. Arévalo insisted these are transit stops of less than 24 hours: deportees arrive on the same flights used to repatriate Guatemalans, then are moved overland to the border with Mexico. "There is no permanence, there is no shelter," the president said, dismissing any suggestion that the mechanism amounts to a safe third-country agreement.
Honduras: An Official Figure Higher Than What's Been Reported
Reporting on Honduras has been more scattered than on Guatemala. Some U.S. outlets, citing the Associated Press, initially spoke of "dozens" of Mexicans diverted to the country, while the Third Country Deportation Watch platform, run by Human Rights First and Refugees International, documented 165 transfers between May and mid-July. Honduras' own National Migration Institute, however, provided a considerably higher figure: its director, Carlos Cordero, reported on August 22 that the country had already received 374 Mexican migrants deported from the United States, with 31 more arriving that same day. Fact-checking outlet Factchequeado independently corroborated a similar figure, 365 cases as of that same date. Part of those transfers, moreover, were carried out on U.S. Air Force C-17 and C-130J military aircraft, according to a flight analysis from August.
Costa Rica: From 11 to 20 in a Matter of Weeks
Costa Rica has the smallest volume but also the fastest recent growth. As of mid-August, Third Country Deportation Watch's count put the number of deported Mexicans received by that country at 11, a figure that matched what local migration authorities reported to the AP. On Thursday, however, Mexico's INM raised that figure to 20 and specified that, unlike Guatemala and Honduras, these returns happen via direct flights to Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), where deportees receive consular assistance and access to the "México te abraza" program.
Why Central America?
The mechanism is part of a broader strategy under Donald Trump's second administration, which has expanded agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador to receive migrants of various nationalities, not just Mexicans. Analysts cited by regional outlets interpret the goal as reducing the odds that deportees will try to cross back into U.S. territory once they reach Mexico. Savitri Arvey, a researcher at Human Rights First, offers a similar read: Washington, she explained, appears to "want to pressure the Mexican government" to discourage nationals from returning to the U.S. border.
What Human Rights Advocates Are Saying
Human Rights First and Refugees International have warned that rerouting deportees through third countries can expose them to additional risks, particularly if they had sought protection in the United States or lack support networks in the countries where they're temporarily left. Migration specialists also question what happens to people barred by court order from entering certain countries in the region — a scenario no authority has clarified so far.
Are They Already Back in Mexico?
Despite those concerns, Mexican authorities insist the process wraps up quickly. The INM chief said everyone sent to Central American countries "are already in Mexico," whether they crossed overland from Guatemala and Honduras to the southern border — where they receive a repatriation letter and access to the "México te abraza" program — or arrived by air in Mexico City from Costa Rica. Neither Mexico's Foreign Ministry nor the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has set a timeline for ending the practice, though, and bilateral negotiations remain without a concrete outcome as of this writing.
