US has deported 25,000 to third countries under secretive deals: report

The investigation by Forbidden Stories found the administration has earmarked $410 million to be paid directly to the receiving countries, or to United Nations agencies to facilitate the returns.At least 25,447 people had already been deported to third countries by August 31, 2026, 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 finalised 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….

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.Read: Afghan woman deported from US in first use of secretive terrorism courtForbidden Stories said 49 of Africa's 54 countries had been approached about accepting third-country deportees.A little-known State Department division called the Office of Remigration, created in May 2025, has handled most….

The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat who previously worked as a security officer.The report details his visits to Cameroon, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the US in December on accepting deportees.

A week later, it also signed a five-year health assistance programme worth nearly $400 million.The following month, the State Department said it would provide a further $30 million to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Cameroon to "facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration." The first plane carrying deportees arrived in Cameroon on January 14.Other agreements have involved direct payments to governments.Palau, a small Pacific island nation….

However, only three people have so far been sent under the agreement.In Eswatini, 32 people have arrived since July 2025 out of a possible 160 under an agreement worth more than $5 million.

It has accepted deportees with criminal records, the investigation found.Of the $410 million planned for the agreements, internal State Department records showed that $81 million was earmarked for signatory governments.

The rest was intended for aid organisations, including more than $178 million for the UN's International Organisation for Migration, and $123 million for UNHCR.The agencies have faced criticism over their involvement, although UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding was being used in line with its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.An IOM spokesperson told Forbidden Stories that the agency's decisions….

In these instances, we believe strongly it does."

US has deported 25,000 to third countries under secretive deals: report Updated 7 minutes ago Trump administration strikes agreements with 35 countries, with at least $410m earmarked to support deportation deals.