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.”