Donald Trump encounters early roadblocks with his plans for the massive deportation of illegal immigrants and hopes that El Salvador is his saving grace.
Both Mexico and now Colombia refuse to accept military flights from migrants who are flown back from the US to their country of origin.
Colombia has rejected two American military planes that were full of residents of the country who fled to the US and are now being deported by the command of President Trump, an American officer told Reuters.
The official said there were 80 migrants on board of each of the two flights with destination South America when their approval was withdrawn to land in Colombia.
Now the Trump government is working on a deal with El Salvador to accept migrants from third countries, which would prevent them from applying for asylum in the US.
Trump's proposal to work with El Salvador seems to be inspired by the British plan to send illegal migrants to Rwanda, which did not start because the ruling conservative government was voted out.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said earlier on Sunday morning in a post on X that he would not allow the US to land with migrants on board military planes.
This is after the Mexican authorities had also blocked the American aircraft this week to deport illegal immigrants to their country.
Mexico and Colombia have refused to land American military planes with illegal migrants on the territory of their country while Donald Trump continues with his massive deportation plan
It is not clear why the Mexican authorities blocked the flight – especially after the naval forces of the country had seen a temporary accommodation to take those who had illegally crossed the northern border to the US.
The government of the incoming country is required to deport migrants abroad.
During his first week in the Oval Office, Trump signed around ten implementing decisions with regard to illegal immigration and the migrant limit crisis.
But a plane full of migrants did not leave the US after Mexico said it would not allow it to land on their territory.
The flight was one of the three who would leave on Thursday. The other two were on their way to Guatemala with more than 150 people on board.
Civil servants from the Ministry of Defense confirmed last week that their armed forces are planning 5,400 migrants currently in custody to fly from the US for deportation missions.
Trump works together with El Salvador to try to reach an agreement on accepting deportation flights from migrants from third countries. On the photo: migrants let an American military plane get off the plane after it had landed in Guatemala on January 24, 2025
Donald Trump signed this week about ten implementing decisions that were related to illegal immigration and the migrant crisis on the southern border
The aircraft crew and maintenance teams involved in the missions complement the 1,500 soldiers and marines in active service that were deployed at the border last week.
Four C-17 and C-130 military planes were moved this week to El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California, told an officer of Task & Purpose, in preparation for the deportation flights.
During his first moments as president, Trump proclaimed the national state of emergency to the southern border.
Trump intends to send 10,000 troops to the border in active service, while he ordered the Ministry of Defense to take over the 'full operational control' about the approach to the national security crisis.
