Mexico denied entry to a plane carrying illegal migrants on Thursday, following President Trump's dramatically beefed up border security and his directive for mass deportations and raids since returning to the White House, according to military sources.
U.S. officials told NBC News that the flight, which was scheduled to transport migrants to Mexico, never took off after Mexican authorities refused to allow the landing. The plane was one of three deportation flights scheduled to take off for the day, including two Air Force C-17s bound for Guatemala with over 150 passengers. This widescale effort is part of what Trump has labeled the largest mass deportation operation in the U.S. history.
No Country for Illegal Migrants
Deporting migrants to other countries require approval from the receiving nation's government, which Mexico refused to grant on Thursday. The reason behind Mexico's decision to block the plane remains unclear, but tensions have been rising between President Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The friction escalated after Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on Mexican goods as a response to migrants crossing the U.S. border illegally.
A White House official explained to the outlet via text message that " the flights thing was an administrative issue and was quickly rectified."
According to Fox News' Bill Melugin, who quoted a senior State Department official, the rejection of the flight seemed to stem from confusion regarding the Department of Defense's flight manifest. "Per the official, Mexico was full steam ahead to accept the deportations – and would have if there hadn't been a misunderstanding regarding the paperwork," he tweeted.
Around 2,000 illegal migrants were deported to their home country on Thursday, with Mexico detaining around 5,000 more within its borders, Melugin added.
As of Friday night, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had made 593 arrests and issued 449 detainers, according to a post on X.
Drawing Trump's Ire
On Monday, Trump announced a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and imposed stricter rules on refugees and asylum seekers. He said that his goal was to stop all illegal border crossings and border-related crime, labeling cartels and organized migrant gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.
Federal authorities began sweeping through sanctuary cities such as Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, and Atlanta on Trump's first full day in office, arresting around 308 illegal migrant criminals from over a dozen countries.
The Trump administration has significantly loosened restrictions on ICE's deportation operations, lifting bans on raids in courthouses, churches, and other locations where undocumented migrants were previously protected from immigration enforcement.
The 47th president has also sent 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, with many assigned to operate helicopters to support Border Patrol agents and assist in building barriers, Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses confirmed on Wednesday.
The use of military aircraft for deportation flights is part of the Pentagon's strategy to carry out Trump's emergency declaration, marking the first time military planes have been used for deportations since President Dwight Eisenhower's administration, according to Reuters, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
"Thanks to President Trump, yesterday Mexico accepted a record four deportation flights in one day! This comes in addition to unrestricted returns at the land border, the deportation of non-Mexicans and reinstatement of Remain-in-Mexico. Mexico has also mobilized 30,000 National Guard," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
