A consortium of 26 media outlets, coordinated by Forbidden Stories, FRANCE 24, and RFI, has spent six months investigating the secret deals struck between the administration of US President Donald Trump and several African countries. The investigation, called “The Deportation Project,” reveals that over 25,400 foreigners have been deported from the US to countries they had never been to before since January 2025. Most of these individuals had been granted legal protections preventing them from being sent back to their home countries.
The Trump administration struck deals with 35 “third countries” to receive these deportees, with 12 agreements signed with African countries. The negotiations leading up to these deals were largely secret, and it remains unclear what these countries received in return. Journalists from 26 outlets across 15 countries gathered over a hundred eyewitness accounts, including 33 interviews with migrants who were deported under the Trump administration's policies.
The investigation found that some deportees were sent to countries in Africa, including Ghana, Cameroon, and Eswatini. These individuals, some of whom had lived in the US for decades, had worked, paid taxes, started families, and built their lives. However, they now risk detention, ill-treatment, or being sent back to their home countries, where their lives would once again be in danger.
Journalists followed the stories of people abandoned in countries that were utterly unknown to them. In Cameroon, the victims of Trump's deportations face uncertain fates. A report by FRANCE 24's David Rich investigates the fate of migrants deported to Cameroon and shines a light on the secret deal struck between Washington and Yaounde.
The deportation policy has been documented through various reports and interactive maps. Lise Kiennemann, a journalist with FRANCE 24's Observers team, worked alongside Forbidden Stories and Evident Media to document these often-secret transfers. An interactive map shows the deportation of more than 25,000 people and the 35 countries that have signed agreements with Washington.
A graphic “scrollytelling” by Lise Kiennemann and Léa Peruchon maps the journey of people deported to Ghana on the flight of November 6, 2025. The story of those deported to Eswatini has also been told, where a discreet deal with the US on the reception of 160 migrants convicted in US courts unleashed unprecedented protests.
The investigation reveals the complexities of Trump's pressure geopolitics. A series of reports and analysis from RFI's Florence Morice sheds light on the rising tensions. The Forbidden Stories network of journalists launched this wide-reaching investigation to defend crucial work and expose the brutal methods of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Key points
- Over 25,400 foreigners have been deported from the US to countries they had never been to before since January 2025.
- The Trump administration struck deals with 35 “third countries” to receive deportees, with 12 agreements signed with African countries.
- Deportees face uncertain fates, including detention, ill-treatment, or being sent back to their home countries.
