President-elect Donald Trump and officials in his incoming administration reportedly are holding off on immigration discussions with Latin America countries until after he's sworn into office.
Latin America officials told The New York Times that the Mexican government and other regional allies have been unable to meet with the incoming administration officials to discuss Trump's mass deportation plans.
Mexican officials have requested a formal meeting with Trump administration officials to discuss the deportation plans but have been rebuffed, the Times reported. They've been told detailed talks only will begin after Trump is sworn in on Monday.
Guatemalan and Honduran officials received similar messages.
"This is not the way things usually work," Eric L. Olson, a fellow at the Wilson Center's Latin American program and Mexico Institute, told the Times. "Usually there are more informal contacts and some level of discussion by now."
Trump's team is finalizing an aggressive slate of immigration executive orders that are expected to be released only hours after Trump is sworn in, CNN reported Friday.
Incoming border czar Tom Homan has been put in charge of Trump's mass deportation of illegal migrants, especially those with criminal histories. Homan recently told NBC News that Trump's priority is to safeguard national security and address human trafficking concerns.
Migrants deported are expected to be sent south of the border to return to their homelands in Central and South America.
Incoming administration officials have said they want to restore the "Remain in Mexico" policy implemented during the first Trump term. That policy would call for migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases are pending.
"President Trump will enlist every federal power and coordinate with state authorities to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history," Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition team, wrote in an email to the Times.
After originally saying her government would push the Trump administration to deport migrants directly back to their own countries, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum in January said her country would be open to accepting deportees from other countries, but Mexico could limit it to certain nationalities or request compensation.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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