The United States has deported more than 25,000 people under secretive agreements with 35 countries to take migrants with no ties to those nations, according to an investigation published Monday.
The investigation by Forbidden Stories, conducted with a consortium of international journalists, found that at least 25,447 people had been deported to third countries by August 31, 2026.
The deportations have taken place since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, as Washington reached agreements with developing countries to receive migrants who cannot legally be returned to their countries of origin. ExecutiveBranch
According to the investigation, the US has earmarked about $410 million for the arrangements, with funds going either directly to receiving governments or through United Nations agencies involved in facilitating returns.
Around 20,000 of those deported were sent to Mexico, while thousands of others were transferred to 27 countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific.
Agreements have also been finalised with seven additional countries, according to Forbidden Stories.
The terms differ from one country to another, including which nationalities can be transferred and whether people with criminal records may be accepted.
An earlier AFP investigation reported that Washington was using visa bans and other restrictions targeting African countries to pressure them into accepting third-country deportees.
Lawyers told AFP that some deportees were being placed in a “legal black hole”, detained in countries where they have no ties and where their legal protections may be limited.