The U.S. has expelled close to 2,300 Mexican nationals to Guatemala this year, with additional deportations to Honduras, a departure from earlier in President Donald Trump’s second term when such actions were infrequent.

Previously, very few Mexicans were sent from the U.S. to nations other than Mexico due to the principle of non-refoulement in domestic immigration law and international agreements. This principle prevents sending migrants back to countries where their rights, freedom, or lives could be at risk based on race, religion, or nationality.

The Mexican National Migration Institute confirmed that Mexicans have been deported to Guatemala and Honduras by the Trump administration since April, then bussed to southern Mexico.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry expressed opposition to this practice, asserting every Mexican citizen’s right to enter the U.S. The flow of migrants through Mexico to the southern U.S. border has caused tension between the two countries. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government has also protested the deaths of 17 Mexicans in U.S. immigration custody.

Authorities in Guatemala confirmed that 2,284 Mexicans deported from the U.S. were sent to their country as a transit stop before returning to Mexico without refugee or asylum status. Similarly, 82 Mexicans arrived in Honduras on flights in August, with more arrivals in the following days.

Immigration lawyers suggest the U.S. is using third-country deportations as a legal tactic to indirectly compel asylum seekers to return to Mexico when direct deportation is not possible due to legal constraints.

At the start of Trump’s second term, agreements were reached with several countries to act as transit destinations for migrants expelled from the U.S.

In another development, the U.S. deported individuals to Haiti for the first time since a legal victory at the Supreme Court, as part of ending temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians.

Activists warn of the dangers of deporting individuals to Haiti, citing the country’s precarious conditions marked by gang violence, poverty, and hunger. Similarly, deportees arrived in Liberia, where they could seek asylum if desired.

The U.S. State Department reiterated its commitment to curbing illegal immigration and enhancing border security.