The Trump administration has established a system of deportations to third countries since 2025, with the government having negotiated 35 agreements with nations including Eswatini and the Central African Republic. Under this policy, federal officers can deport immigrants with as little as six hours notice, even without assurances regarding their safety from persecution or torture. More than 5,000 people have been placed on deportation flights to countries across Latin America, Africa, central Asia, and the Caribbean during this period.
The policy’s scope encompasses individuals with varying circumstances, including longtime residents. One case highlighted involved a 58-year-old nurse who had lived in the United States for 30 years and worked in healthcare during the pandemic. She was detained during a routine immigration check-in, held in custody for four months, and subsequently flown to Ghana before being transferred to Sierra Leone, the country she had originally fled. In many instances, these third countries have subsequently deported individuals to the nations they initially left, a practice that technically violates U.S. law.
The policy has been driven by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, who previously shaped immigration positions during Trump’s first term. Miller has established daily coordination calls with diplomatic officials to advance third-country deportation agreements and has set operational targets for immigration enforcement. The administration has redirected federal resources and reorganized institutional priorities to prioritize deportations, including repurposing humanitarian funding and removing immigration judges deemed misaligned with deportation objectives.
The investigation into these deportations was conducted by journalists from multiple newsrooms in conjunction with Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based investigative network. The rapid pace and limited notification periods associated with deportations have created substantial challenges for legal advocates seeking to defend affected individuals and for journalists attempting to document their experiences.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI