The United States has deported more than 25,000 people under secretive agreements with 35 countries, taking migrants with no ties to those nations. This is according to an investigation published recently. Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, Washington has been signing deals with developing countries to take migrants who cannot legally be sent home.
The investigation by Forbidden Stories found that the administration has earmarked $410 million to be paid directly to the receiving countries or to UN agencies to facilitate the returns. At least 25,447 people had already been deported to third countries by August 31, 2026. The majority, around 20,000, were sent to Mexico, while the rest were dispersed to 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific.
The deals vary, including over which nationalities can be deported and whether people with criminal records can be accepted. 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. This has raised concerns about the treatment and rights of the deportees.
Forbidden 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 of the negotiations and payments. The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat who previously worked as a security officer.
The report details Ehrhardt's 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."
Other agreements have involved direct payments to governments. Palau, a small Pacific island nation with a population of under 18,000, signed an agreement in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in return for $7.5 million. 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.
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.
Key points
- The US has deported over 25,000 people to third countries under secretive agreements.
- The agreements involve payments to governments and UN agencies to facilitate the returns.
- The deals have raised concerns about the treatment and rights of the deportees.
