Guatemala receives first deportation flight from US

BOGOTA, Colombia

The US has begun deporting migrants to Guatemala, with two military planes carrying 80 Guatemalans arriving Friday in the Central American country.

The move marks the start of President Donald Trump administration’s massive operation to deport migrants.

The White House confirmed that deportations had begun "with President Trump sending a strong message to the world: ‘Those who enter the United States illegally will face serious consequences.’"

The flights included 31 women, 48 men and one unaccompanied teen, according to the Guatemalan Migration Institute. They received food, clothing, hygiene kits and psychosocial support, upon arrival.

It is unclear if the group includes any of the 538 immigrants arrested or the "hundreds" expelled that was announced late Thursday by the White House. The Guatemalan government has not confirmed any details.

The Trump administration aims to curb migratory flows from Latin America by speeding up deportations, ending access to asylum and militarizing the US-Mexico border.

The issue of migration, along with Trump's threat to seize the Panama Canal, will be a key focus of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's upcoming visits to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

It is not the first time that expulsions have been carried out. Deportation flights from the US were carried out during Joe Biden´s administration, with more than 860 flights and 271,000 people expelled between June and December last year, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.