The U.S. military has begun deportation flights of 5,400 migrants in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego and El Paso. Two flights took about 80 deportees each to Guatemala on Jan. 23 but a third, bound for Mexico, never got off the ground after the Mexican government denied it permission to land, reported NBC News.
The reason for the denial remains unclear. A statement by Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not explain the denial. “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 accept the arrival of Mexicans to our territory with open arms. Mexico embraces you.”
