US Deports 124 Mexican Nationals In First Repatriation Flight Of 2020 - Immigration Agency

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2020) The United States has deported 124 Mexican nationals as part of its first repatriation flight of the new year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a press release on Friday.

"The first repatriation flight of the new year, and second of fiscal year 2020, departed Tucson International Airport Jan[uary] 16, carrying 124 Mexican nationals," the release said.

The Mexican nationals will be flown to Guadalajara, Mexico and transported to their cities of origin from there.

The release said the agency's goal, known as the Interior Repatriation Initiative, is to prevent migrants from making repeated attempts to enter the United States and to reduce violence in Mexican border towns, such as human trafficking.

When migrants are returned closer to their homes, there is a higher chance they will reintegrate with their communities, the release said.

The Trump administration has implemented various US immigration policies to deter illegal immigration. The administration has also pressured Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to do more to deter illegal immigration in the region.

Media reports said a US-bound caravan of more than 2,000 migrants from Honduras entered Guatemala on Thursday and may continue to grow as it passes through.