Mexico Denies US Military Plane Carrying Migrant Deportees To Land In Country: Report

Mexico refused to allow a U.S. military flight carrying deportees to land in the country on Thursday as President Donald Trump institutes an immigration crackdown, according to reports.

A U.S. military C-17 transport plane was denied permission to land in Mexico but two other flights carrying about 80 migrants each landed in Guatemala on Friday, NBC News reported.

Tensions have risen between Mexico and the United States since Trump pledged to begin mass deportations, threatened to place 25% tariffs on Mexican goods and signed an executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

After NBC News reported on the denial, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt posted on X that Mexico had accepted four other deportation flights.

"Thanks to President Trump: Yesterday, Mexico accepted a record 4 deportation flights in 1 day!," she said.

A senior State Department official told Fox News that the denial was because of miscommunication over a Defense Department manifest.

The report said Mexico was prepared to allow the flight to land but balked because of the paperwork.

In a statement, Mexico's foreign ministry said the county had a "very great relationship" with the U.S. and has cooperated on immigration issues.

"When it comes to repatriations, we will always accept the arrival of Mexicans to our territory with open arms," the ministry said, according to Reuters.

The Trump administration this week said it would restore the "Remain in Mexico" policy but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied that her government has agreed to accept non-Mexican asylum seekers.

"If someone is at the border, especially in these cold conditions, we will act in a humanitarian way," she said, adding, "but it's much better for them to return to their country of origin."

Originally published on Latin Times