US deported 25,000 migrants to countries with no ties under Trump policy

WASHINGTON, Sept 21:  The United States deported more than 25,000 migrants to countries with which they had no previous ties under agreements reached by the Trump administration, according to an investigation by Forbidden Stories.

Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration has reached agreements with 35 countries to accept so-called “third-country nationals” — migrants deported from the United States to countries other than their countries of origin. Details of many of the agreements have not been publicly disclosed.

At least 25,447 people had been sent to 28 countries as of Aug. 31, the investigation found after analyzing information from multiple sources, including migrant rights organizations. The US government has not publicly released comparable figures.

The investigation was carried out by a consortium of 72 journalists from 26 media organizations in 15 countries and included more than 100 interviews with deportees, government officials, lawyers and experts.

Internal State Department records obtained by The Washington Post, a member of the consortium, showed that the United States planned to spend at least $410 million to secure agreements with third countries.

Of that amount, $81 million was earmarked for governments that signed the agreements, while more than $178 million was allocated to the International Organization for Migration and more than $123 million to the UN refugee agency.

The agreements have largely been negotiated by the State Department's Office of Remigration, a division established in 2025 as part of a restructuring of the department.

The White House said the migrants sent to third countries include people whose home countries refuse to accept them, as well as individuals with removal orders who have requested not to be returned to their countries of origin.

However, a US federal appeals court on Sept. 18 ordered the third-country deportations halted, ruling that migrants had not been given sufficient notice or an adequate opportunity to challenge their removal.