EXCLUSIVE-US military aircraft with deported migrants lands in Guatemala, officials say

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By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

Jan 27 (Reuters) - A U.S. military aircraft with migrants being deported as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration landed in Guatemala on Monday, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

The flight was a sign that Trump was undeterred in forging ahead with his program of using U.S. military aircraft to deport migrants, despite coming to the brink of a trade war with Colombia over it a day earlier.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details.

The flight is the third to have successfully landed in Guatemala since the start of the military deportation flights last week.

To date, Guatemala appears to be the only country to have received military flights with migrants.

This is the first flight after Trump had threatened tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish it for earlier refusing to accept military flights carrying deportees as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown.

The White House said Colombia had agreed to accept the migrants after all and Washington would not impose its threatened penalties.