According to official figures, air deportations from the United States to Mexico’s southern border rose by more than 100 percent during the first four months of this year compared to the final four months of last year.
Over just two days this weekend—Saturday and Sunday—a total of 738 Mexican nationals arrived on six flights at Tapachula International Airport from the states of Texas and Louisiana. Security sources reported that the group consisted of 664 men, 57 women, and 17 minors.
The nationals were received under the “México Te Abraza” (Mexico Embraces You) program, implemented by the federal government with the support of state and municipal authorities. The program provides legal, administrative, and financial assistance to help them reach their hometowns, as they originate from states in central and northern Mexico.
Between January and April, the international airports in Tapachula, Chiapas, and Villahermosa, Tabasco, recorded the arrival of 15,305 Mexican nationals, according to the most recent statistical report from the National Migration Institute. In contrast, these two official repatriation points recorded only 7,322 people between September and December of last year.
In other words, these figures represent a 109 percent increase during the first four months of this year compared to the last four months of the previous year. The other two airports designated by authorities for aerial deportations—Benito Juárez in Mexico City and Felipe Ángeles in the State of Mexico—received only 23 deported Mexicans during the first four months of 2026.
Since Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency in January 2025, a total of 217,976 Mexican nationals have been deported to Mexico through 16 official entry points (including four airports), according to a statistical report from the National Migration Institute covering the period up to April.
During this same timeframe, among the four airports officially designated to receive repatriated individuals, those in Tapachula and Villahermosa recorded the arrival of 19,964 and 22,884 people, respectively. This means that these two facilities have received 20 percent of all individuals deported from the United States to Mexico.
