US deported 25,000 to third countries: Report

NAIROBI

People protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Austin, Texas, after a federal ICE officer shot and wounded a person. (AFP Photo)

The United States has deported more than 25,000 people under secretive agreements with 35 countries to take migrants with no ties to those nations, according to an investigation published on Sept. 21.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, Washington has been signing deals with developing countries to take migrants who cannot legally be sent home.

The investigation by Forbidden Stories found the administration has earmarked $410 million to be paid directly to the receiving countries, or to U.N. agencies to facilitate the returns.

At least 25,447 people had already been deported to third countries by Aug. 31, according to data compiled by Forbidden Stories with a consortium of international journalists.

The vast majority, around 20,000, were sent to Mexico, but the rest were dispersed to 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific, and agreements have been finalized with seven more.

The deals vary, including over which nationalities can be deported and whether people with criminal records can be accepted.

An AFP investigation earlier this year found Washington is using visa bans and restrictions on African countries to strongarm them into accepting deportees.

Lawyers told AFP that deportees were being thrown into a “legal black hole,” held without charge in countries where they have no ties and few if any rights.

A little-known State Department division called the Office of Remigration, created in May 2025, has handled most of the negotiations and payments, according to Forbidden Stories.