25,447 Deported: How US Third-Country Deals Are Sending Migrants Across the World

At least 25,447 migrants have been deported by the United States to countries with which they have no apparent ties, under a network of agreements negotiated with 35 nations, an investigation by Forbidden Stories has found.

The transfers are part of an expanding US policy under President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January 2025.

According to the investigation, the Trump administration has negotiated arrangements with developing countries to accept migrants whom Washington cannot legally return directly to their countries of origin.

The deals have also come with substantial financial commitments.

Forbidden Stories, working with a consortium of international journalists, reported that the US has set aside $410 million for the arrangements. The money is intended either for governments receiving deportees or for UN agencies helping to organise the transfers.

By August 31, 2026, at least 25,447 people had reportedly been sent to third countries.

Mexico accounted for approximately 20,000 of those deportations. The remaining migrants were distributed among 27 countries in Latin America, Africa and the Pacific, while agreements had been concluded with seven additional countries.

The conditions differ between agreements, including which nationalities can be transferred and whether people with criminal convictions can be accepted.

African Countries Under Pressure

The arrangements have drawn particular attention in Africa.

An earlier AFP investigation found that Washington was using visa bans and other restrictions to pressure African governments into accepting deportees.

Lawyers told AFP that some migrants were effectively being placed in a “legal black hole” — detained in countries where they had no established ties and, in some cases, limited legal rights.

Forbidden Stories reported that the US had approached 49 of Africa’s 54 countries about accepting third-country deportees.

The negotiations have largely been handled by the State Department’s Office of Remigration, a little-known division created in May 2025.

The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat and former security officer.

Cameroon Deal Draws Attention

Cameroon features prominently in the investigation.

The country signed a memorandum of understanding with Washington in December to accept migrants deported from the United States who are not Cameroonian nationals.

A week later, Cameroon signed a five-year health assistance programme valued at nearly $400 million.

In the following month, the US State Department announced another $30 million for UNHCR in Cameroon to “facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration.”

The first US deportation flight under the arrangement arrived in Cameroon on January 14.

AFP later reported that around 50 people from countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe and Morocco had arrived in Cameroon since January.

Millions of Dollars Attached to Deals

The arrangements have also involved direct financial incentives.

Palau, a Pacific island country with fewer than 18,000 inhabitants, agreed in December 2025 to receive up to 75 third-country nationals for $7.5 million.

Only three people have so far been transferred under that agreement.

Eswatini, meanwhile, has received 32 people since July 2025 out of a possible 160 under a deal worth more than $5 million. The investigation found that some of those accepted had criminal records.

Internal State Department records reviewed by Forbidden Stories showed that $81 million of the planned $410 million had been allocated directly to governments that signed agreements with Washington.

The remainder was earmarked for international aid organisations.

More than $178 million was designated for the International Organization for Migration, while $123 million was allocated for UNHCR.

UN Agencies Defend Their Involvement

The involvement of the UN agencies has generated criticism, but both organisations have defended their participation.

UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not a party to the bilateral agreements between the United States and receiving countries. It said US funding was being used within its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.

An IOM spokesperson said the organisation considers “a single question: whether our engagement will improve the lives of the migrants affected.”

The spokesperson added: “In these instances, we believe strongly it does.”

The investigation highlights the growing scale of US third-country deportations and the increasingly important role played by developing countries in Washington’s immigration enforcement strategy.

Recent reporting from Cameroon has also documented the experiences of deportees who say they were sent to the country despite having little connection to it, adding to scrutiny of the policy.

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