As many as 104 Hondurans were deported on Saturday over violating the rules of staying in the country, the institute specified. The plane carrying the migrants back to their home country departed from the Mexican state of Veracruz.
The move comes amid Washington's pressure on Mexico to reduce the flow of migrants trying to enter into the United States through its southwestern border with the country. US President Donald Trump has said that the United States will be forced to partially close its border with Mexico if the situation does not change.
Around 300,000 migrants crossed into Mexico in the first three months of 2019, according to the country's Interior Ministry. The head of the Mexican National Institute of Migration, Tonatiuh Guillen Lopez, said on Tuesday that Mexico had sent around 15,000 migrants, mostly from Central America, back to their home countries over the past 30 days.
READ MORE: Pentagon to Expand Role of Military at US-Mexico Border — Report
The US southern border has been at the epicentre of a controversy since a caravan, with thousands of people from Central America, tried to enter the United States via the country's border with Mexico. US border guards dispersed the crowds using tear gas. The US authorities have dispatched additional troops to the border in a bid to hamper illegal immigration.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his concerns over the influx of migrants coming to the United States though Mexico, stressing that a border wall is necessary to prevent criminals from entering the United States.
