Mexico has refused a request from the United States to allow a military aircraft deporting migrants to land in the country, according to officials from both nations. This decision comes amidst heightened tensions between the two countries over immigration policies and border security.

The U.S. military has recently begun using aircraft, such as C-17 transport planes, to deport migrants as part of the Pentagon's response to President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration earlier this week. While two such flights carrying approximately 80 migrants each successfully landed in Guatemala on Friday, plans for a similar flight to Mexico were halted after the country denied landing permission.

Mexico's foreign ministry emphasized the country’s commitment to receiving repatriated Mexican nationals but did not address the decision to deny landing rights for the U.S. military aircraft. "When it comes to repatriations, we will always accept the arrival of Mexicans to our territory with open arms," the ministry stated. However, no official reason was given for the refusal.

This development follows the re-launch of the U.S. "Remain in Mexico" policy, which requires non-Mexican asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their U.S. immigration cases are processed. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated that any such policy would require Mexico's consent, which has not been granted. Sheinbaum, a leftist leader, has criticized mass deportations while acknowledging the importance of Mexican immigrants to the U.S. economy.

The Trump administration's latest immigration measures have brought U.S.-Mexico relations into sharp focus. President Trump recently began his second term by declaring a national emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying 1,500 additional troops with the possibility of thousands more to follow. He has also labeled Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, threatened a 25% tariff on Mexican goods starting in February, and controversially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."

The use of military aircraft for deportations marks a shift in U.S. immigration enforcement. A Pentagon official confirmed that over 5,000 migrants currently held in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California, are slated for deportation via military flights. While this method has been used for large-scale relocations in the past, such as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, it is unprecedented for deportation operations.

Meanwhile, Guatemala continues to receive deported migrants. On Friday, the country accepted its third flight of 80 migrants on a chartered commercial plane.

As tensions rise over border security and immigration policy, both nations face growing challenges in maintaining a cooperative relationship.