According to officials from both countries speaking to Reuters, Mexico rejected a request from the US government to allow a US military aircraft carrying deported migrants to land in Mexico. While two other flights, each with around 80 migrants on board, successfully landed in Guatemala on Friday, the planned mission involving a C-17 transport aircraft to Mexico was halted after landing permission was denied.

This decision was confirmed by US and Mexico officials, with NBC News being the first to report it. Mexico’s foreign ministry stated on Friday evening, emphasising the "very great relationship" between the US and Mexico and their ongoing cooperation on immigration issues.

"When it comes to repatriations, we will always accept the arrival of Mexicans to our territory with open arms," the ministry confirmed.

Neither the Mexican official explained the rationale behind denying landing permission nor did the foreign ministry address the specific incident.

The US administration recently reinstated the "Remain in Mexico" program, which mandates that non-Mexican asylum seekers remain in Mexico while their cases are processed in the United States.

On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasised that such arrangements require the consent of the receiving country, which Mexico had not granted. Requests for comments from the US State Department and the Pentagon remain unanswered.

US-Mexico relations have drawn significant attention since Monday, when Trump began his second term by declaring a border emergency. He has already deployed 1,500 additional troops to the border, with the possibility of more being sent.

Former US President Donald Trump designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organisations, renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and announced a plan to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican imports starting in February.

In response, Mexican politician Claudia Sheinbaum has taken a diplomatic stance, expressing a willingness to accept returning Mexican nationals while opposing large-scale deportations. She highlighted the vital role Mexican immigrants play in supporting the US economy.

The deportation flights using military aircraft are part of the Pentagon’s emergency declaration response. While US military planes have been previously used for international evacuations, such as the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, employing them for migrant deportations represents a new and unprecedented move.

The Pentagon has revealed plans to arrange flights to deport over 5,000 immigrants from facilities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. Meanwhile, Guatemala has received another group of around 80 deported migrants on a commercial charter flight, marking the third such arrival.