Mexico denied permission for a US Air Force C-17 cargo plane carrying deported Mexican nationals to land on its territory on Friday. The moves come days after US President Donald Trump declared an emergency at the southern border and pledged to intensify deportation efforts following his inauguration on Monday.
Citing two US defence officials, reports stated that the military transport plane, carrying an unspecified number of deportees, remained grounded.
However, two other flights, each carrying 80 migrants, were completed as scheduled.
A Mexican official confirmed that permission for the plane to land was not granted, though no 'specific' reasons were provided.
In response, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X, “Thanks to President Trump: Yesterday, Mexico accepted a record 4 deportation flights in 1 day!” She also linked an article about the cancelled flight to her post.
President Trump has ordered the deployment of an additional 1,500 soldiers to assist border agents in monitoring and processing migrants.
The administration has also announced the revival of the ‘Remain in Mexico’ programme, requiring non-Mexican asylum seekers to await case processing in Mexico.
Trump has further classified Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organisations, renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Mexican imports starting next month.
On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum remarked, “Mexico must protect its sovereignty, but the responsibility of the government is also to avoid confrontations with the US.”
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