US Sent More Than 25,000 Migrants to Third Countries Under Secret Deals
World
The United States has deported at least 25,447 people to third countries under agreements with 35 nations, according to an international investigation by Forbidden Stories published September 21. The figures cover the period through August 31, 2026.
The investigation found that the Donald Trump administration earmarked $410 million to support the arrangements. Around 20,000 migrants were sent to Mexico, while others were transferred to 27 countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. Agreements were also finalized with seven additional countries.
The terms vary, including which nationalities can be deported and whether countries can accept people with criminal records. According to Forbidden Stories, 49 of Africa’s 54 countries were approached about accepting third-country deportees.
Most negotiations and payments are handled by the US State Department’s Office of Remigration, created in May 2025 and headed by diplomat Christian Jove Ehrhardt.
The first plane carrying deportees arrived in Cameroon on January 14. Palau agreed to accept up to 75 people for $7.5 million, but only three have so far been sent there. In Eswatini, 32 people out of a possible 160 have arrived under a deal worth more than $5 million.
Of the $410 million earmarked for the agreements, $81 million is designated for partner governments. More than $178 million is intended for the International Organization for Migration and $123 million for UNHCR.
Lawyers interviewed by AFP said some deportees were left in legal uncertainty in countries with which they have no ties. UNHCR said it is not a party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding is used within its mandate.
The terms vary, including which nationalities can be deported and whether countries can accept people with criminal records. According to Forbidden Stories, 49 of Africa’s 54 countries were approached about accepting third-country deportees.
Most negotiations and payments are handled by the US State Department’s Office of Remigration, created in May 2025 and headed by diplomat Christian Jove Ehrhardt.
The first plane carrying deportees arrived in Cameroon on January 14. Palau agreed to accept up to 75 people for $7.5 million, but only three have so far been sent there. In Eswatini, 32 people out of a possible 160 have arrived under a deal worth more than $5 million.
Of the $410 million earmarked for the agreements, $81 million is designated for partner governments. More than $178 million is intended for the International Organization for Migration and $123 million for UNHCR.
Lawyers interviewed by AFP said some deportees were left in legal uncertainty in countries with which they have no ties. UNHCR said it is not a party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding is used within its mandate.
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