'Not the plan': Guatemalan migrants lament fast-track deportations

A government employee walks with families deported from the U.S. under Title 42 as part of the efforts of the U.S. government to expedite removals of some families to dissuade record numbers of migrants from making the journey north, at the La Aurora International airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala August 4, 2021. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala has begun to receive flights of undocumented migrants sent back from the United States under a new policy allowing fast-track expulsions for some families at the U.S.-Mexico border, Guatemalan and U.S. authorities said on Wednesday.

The measure announced by U.S. officials last week, called "expedited removal," applies to families that have not sought U.S. asylum or who do not qualify, and comes as border arrests in recent months have risen to 20-year highs.