The Trump administration has sent more than 100 people from Afghanistan, Cuba and several other countries to eight African nations as part of an expanding US policy of deporting migrants to countries other than their own.
The transfers took place over a 10-day period, according to internal US government documents obtained by CBS News. They offer a rare glimpse into the administration’s growing use of so-called “third-country” deportations.
Under the policy, people who have been ordered to leave the United States can be transferred to a country that is not their country of nationality if that government agrees to receive them.
A growing deportation route
The recent transfers involved people from countries where returning deportees directly to their homeland can be difficult because of diplomatic, logistical or legal obstacles.
Instead, US immigration authorities arranged for their removal to countries elsewhere in the world. In this case, the destinations were spread across Africa.
The scale of the operation – more than 100 people in just 10 days – highlights the administration’s efforts to increase the number of deportations while relying on a growing network of international agreements.
The transfers were handled through established removal procedures by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The government documents reviewed by CBS News indicate that the movements were part of a broader enforcement strategy rather than isolated cases.
What are third-country deportations?
Third-country deportations are not new. Previous US administrations have used similar arrangements when returning someone directly to their country of origin has proved difficult.
The system depends on another government agreeing to accept the deportee.
Once an arrangement is in place, US authorities coordinate travel and other logistical details with the receiving country. The individual is then transferred there rather than returned directly to their homeland.
Supporters of the policy argue that such agreements give US authorities another option when countries refuse or are unable to take back their nationals.
But the practice has raised questions among immigration lawyers and rights groups, particularly when people are sent to countries with which they have no previous connection.
Uncertainty for those being removed
For people facing deportation, being sent to a third country can create a very different situation from returning home.
The receiving country becomes responsible for handling the person’s arrival under the terms of its agreement with the United States. In some cases, the individual may have no family, community ties or previous experience of living there.
The recent transfers involved several nationalities, demonstrating how the policy can extend beyond the traditional system of returning people through bilateral agreements with their home countries.
Immigration advocates have previously raised concerns about due process and the conditions awaiting people transferred in this way. The documents examined in connection with the latest operation do not, however, identify specific legal challenges arising from these transfers.
What happens next?
The expansion of third-country deportations reflects the Trump administration’s broader effort to remove people from the US even when direct deportation routes are limited.
Its success will depend heavily on cooperation from foreign governments willing to accept deportees.
As Washington seeks to establish or expand such agreements, the destinations available to US immigration authorities could increase. But changes in diplomatic relationships – or resistance from governments and courts – could also affect how quickly the policy can be carried out.
For now, the latest transfers suggest that third-country deportation is becoming an increasingly important tool in the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.