- Investigation Says Washington Has Reached Arrangements With 35 Countries to Accept Deportees With No Prior Ties
NAIROBI: The United States has deported more than 25,000 people to third countries under agreements that allow Washington to send migrants to nations with which they have no previous ties, according to an investigation published Monday by Forbidden Stories and an international consortium of journalists.
The investigation found that since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the US administration has negotiated arrangements with developing countries to receive migrants who cannot legally be returned directly to their countries of origin.
According to data compiled by Forbidden Stories and its media partners, at least 25,447 people had been deported to third countries by August 31, 2026.
Mexico Receives Majority of Deportees
The investigation said around 20,000 deportees were sent to Mexico, while thousands of others were transferred to 27 countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific.
Agreements have reportedly been finalized with seven additional countries.
The terms of the arrangements differ from country to country, including provisions governing the nationalities that may be accepted and whether people with criminal records can be transferred.
Forbidden Stories reported that the US government has allocated approximately $410 million for the third-country deportation arrangements, either through direct payments to recipient governments or through UN agencies involved in facilitating returns.
African Countries Under Pressure
An earlier AFP investigation reported that Washington had used visa restrictions and other measures involving African countries as leverage in efforts to secure agreements for accepting deportees.
Lawyers cited in the reporting warned that some deportees could face a legal and humanitarian limbo in countries where they have no family, community or other established connections and where their legal status may be uncertain.
Forbidden Stories said that 49 of Africa’s 54 countries had been approached regarding the possible reception of third-country deportees.
State Department Office Leads Negotiations
According to the investigation, most of the negotiations and related payments have been handled by a little-known State Department division known as the Office of Remigration, established in May 2025.
The office is headed by diplomat Christian Jove Ehrhardt, according to the report.
The investigation examined his visits to Cameroon, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States in December to accept deportees.
Shortly afterward, Cameroon signed a five-year health assistance programme valued at nearly $400 million, while the US State Department subsequently announced an additional $30 million for UNHCR in Cameroon to support what it described as efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration.
The first US deportation flight under the arrangement reportedly arrived in Cameroon on January 14.
Payments to Receiving Countries
Some agreements have included direct financial payments to governments accepting deportees.
Palau, a Pacific island nation with a population of fewer than 18,000, signed an agreement in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in exchange for $7.5 million, according to the investigation.
So far, however, only three people have reportedly been transferred to Palau under the arrangement.
In Eswatini, 32 people had arrived by July 2025 out of a possible 160 under an agreement worth more than $5 million. The investigation reported that Eswatini had also accepted deportees with criminal records.
Millions Allocated Through UN Agencies
Internal State Department records cited by Forbidden Stories reportedly show that of the approximately $410 million allocated for the arrangements, around $81 million was earmarked for governments that signed agreements with Washington.
The remaining funds were intended for international aid organizations, including more than $178 million for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and approximately $123 million for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The involvement of UN agencies has drawn scrutiny.
UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not a party to the bilateral agreements and said US funding was being used in accordance with its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.
An IOM spokesperson, meanwhile, said the agency evaluates funding decisions based on whether its involvement can improve conditions for affected migrants, adding that it believed its engagement in these cases would do so.
The investigation highlights the expanding role of third-country arrangements in US immigration enforcement and raises questions about the legal protections, humanitarian safeguards and responsibilities of countries receiving deportees who have no established connection to them.
BY: The Times Union
