Mexico has begun receiving non-Mexican deportees from the United States over the past week, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Monday, marking a shift from her previous opposition to this practice. Sheinbaum stated that Mexico had taken in more than 4,000 deportees, with a “large majority” of them being Mexican nationals.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who assumed office last week, has pledged to carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants in the United States.
Despite this promise, Sheinbaum noted that there has not yet been a “substantial” increase in deportees received by Mexico.
Previously, Sheinbaum had opposed the reimplementation of the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program, which would require non-Mexican migrants to wait in Mexico while their U.S. immigration cases were processed. She said that the recent deportations from the U.S. included individuals transported on four flights using civilian aircraft. On Friday, Reuters reported, citing U.S. and Mexican officials, that Mexico had rejected a U.S. military-operated deportation flight.
In recent days, deportation flights have also sparked criticism from other countries. Brazil accused the U.S. of “blatant disrespect” after deportees were handcuffed during a flight. Meanwhile, tensions flared between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Trump, nearly escalating into a trade conflict over Colombia’s initial refusal to accept U.S. military deportation flights. Petro later agreed to accept them.
Sheinbaum described the agreement between Trump and Petro as “good” and highlighted ongoing discussions between the Mexican and U.S. governments on immigration and other issues. She suggested that additional agreements might be reached soon. Sheinbaum also noted a historical precedent for Mexico accepting non-Mexican deportees, referencing her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had approved the “Remain in Mexico” program during Trump’s previous term.
