Trump’s Third-Country Deportations Trigger Global Human Rights Concerns
Since Donald Trump returned to the US presidency in 2025, the Department of Homeland Security has carried out third-country deportations, sending asylum seekers and migrants to nations where they have no cultural or legal ties, aljazeera.com reported.
Trump Administration Sends Thousands to Third Countries
The Trump administration campaigned on implementing the largest deportation operation in American history. Officers now make thousands of arrests daily across the country. Many detainees state they face risks of violence or death in their home countries. Because US law and international treaties prohibit returning individuals to places where they face torture or persecution, the administration has arranged to send deportees to third countries.
Human rights organizations including Refugees International and Human Rights First tally more than 25,000 total forcible third-country deportations based on media reports and attorney data. According to Refugees International and Human Rights First, about 20,000 people have been bussed to Mexico, while more than 5,000 have been placed on flights to countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and central Asia. Many arrive without identity documents or knowledge of the local language.
US Pays Nations to Accept Deportees
Deportations to third nations require the approval of local authorities. The Trump administration has secured deals or informal understandings with 35 nations, committing at least $410m in financial aid, visa concessions, and health service funding. For example, Liberia agreed to take up to 1,200 deportees in exchange for commitments including $124m for health services and visa extensions, while Cameroon agreed to take third-country nationals after receiving pledges for UN refugee support and health funding.
Receiving nations handle arrivals in varying ways. Some countries, such as El Salvador and Eswatini, agreed to keep deportees in prisons. Others signed Asylum Cooperative Agreements to let deportees pursue asylum claims locally. However, human rights lawyers state that many third countries lack the capacity to protect migrants and may ultimately send them back to the exact places they fled.
Global Condemnation and Legal Challenges
United Nations human rights experts, along with organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have criticized the policy. On a Monday statement, 24 UN experts warned that the transfers trigger a cascade of human rights violations with potentially deadly consequences. The experts contacted the US and all 35 participating governments to demand an immediate halt to the practice.
Legal challenges have wound through the courts, with some lower courts ruling the third-country removals illegal. The US Supreme Court allowed the practice to continue in a September ruling. Department of Homeland Security data provided to the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley and UCLA accounts for the thousands of formal transfers recorded between January 2025 and August 2026.
Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.