Saturday, January 25, 2025 - Mexican authorities reportedly blocked a US military plane from deporting illegal migrants after Donald Trump's immigration crackdown began.
American officials told NBC News a packed jet never took off
after authorities south of the border rejected the move.
The flight was one of three that were set to take off on
Thursday, alongside two Guatemala-bound Air Force C-17s carrying over 150
people, as part of what Trump has described as the largest mass deportation
effort in US history.
Deporting migrants to foreign countries requires permission
from the incoming nation's government, which Mexico declined on
Thursday.
It was not immediately clear why Mexico blocked the flight,
but tensions between the U.S. and Mexico, neighbours and longtime allies, have
risen since President Donald Trump won the November election. Trump has
threatened to slap 25% across-the-board tariffs on Mexico in retaliation for
migrants crossing the border the countries share.
A White House official said in a text message that “the
flights thing was an administrative issue and was quickly rectified.”
After the publication of this article, White House Press
Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted, "Yesterday, Mexico accepted a
record 4 deportation flights in 1 day!"
In a statement, Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not
go into detail on why the U.S. plane was not allowed to land in the country.
“Mexico has a very good relationship with the United States
government and we cooperate with respect for our sovereignty on a wide range of
issues, including migration," the statement read. "When it comes to
repatriations, we will always welcome the arrival of Mexicans to our territory
with open arms. Mexico embraces you.”
.jpg)
0 Comments