U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday that Guatemala and Honduras had signed agreements with the United States to accept asylum seekers from third countries, offering alternatives to those who would otherwise seek refuge in the U.S. However, the announcement quickly sparked conflicting responses from Central American officials.
Noem framed the agreements as part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to expand deportation options by sending migrants not only back to their countries of origin but also to third countries deemed “safe.”
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“We’ve never believed that the United States should be the only option,” Noem said. “The guarantee for a refugee is that they go somewhere to be safe… it doesn’t necessarily have to be the United States.”
Central American Governments Dispute the Claims
Despite Noem’s announcement, Guatemala’s presidential office denied signing any safe third-country agreement or other immigration deal during her visit. Instead, they reaffirmed a limited transit agreement, allowing Guatemala to serve as a temporary stop for Central Americans being repatriated—not a place to apply for asylum.
Honduran officials, including immigration director Wilson Paz, also denied signing such an agreement, and their Foreign Affairs Ministry declined to comment.
Noem acknowledged the political sensitivity, calling the agreement a “difficult” one for these governments due to limited resources and domestic pushback. The optics of cooperating with the Trump administration on immigration is particularly delicate for these left-leaning governments.
While Noem stated she was handed a signed agreement during her Guatemala visit, the only public event confirmed was a memorandum of understanding to launch a Joint Security Program. This program places U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Guatemala City’s airport to help train local agents in terrorist detection.
The U.S. previously signed similar accords with Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala during Trump’s first term. These agreements allowed the U.S. to deny asylum applications from migrants who passed through a “safe” third country and instead redirect them there.
While a safe third-country deal exists with Canada since 2002, the Central American agreements drew criticism due to their limited asylum systems and the fact that many of their own citizens were fleeing violence and poverty.
Other Regional Agreements
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In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed deals with El Salvador and Guatemala:
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Guatemala’s role was limited to being a transit point, not a final asylum destination.
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El Salvador agreed to imprison migrants sent from the U.S.
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The U.S. has also signed limited agreements with Panama and Costa Rica. As of early 2025:
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299 migrants were sent to Panama.
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Fewer than 200 were sent to Costa Rica.
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President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said Tuesday that her country would not sign a safe third-country agreement. However, Mexico has accepted over 5,000 migrants from other nations deported by the U.S. since Trump returned to office—claiming humanitarian motives and assisting with their return home.
These evolving immigration deals offer the U.S. more flexibility in deporting asylum seekers, especially when direct repatriation isn’t feasible due to diplomatic or safety concerns. But the lack of clarity over what has actually been agreed to with countries like Guatemala and Honduras may signal challenges in implementation and public support moving forward.
