Twenty-four UN human rights experts have issued a joint statement expressing concern about a US policy of deporting migrants to third countries with which they have no connection. The arrangement, which began after the Trump administration took office in 2025, involves financial incentives offered to foreign governments to accept these individuals. According to advocacy organizations, approximately 20,000 people have been transported by bus to Mexico, while over 5,000 others have been flown to nations across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and central Asia. The US has negotiated agreements with 35 countries to participate in the program.
The UN-affiliated experts characterized the policy as creating a cascade of human rights violations, particularly for vulnerable migrants including refugees and asylum seekers. They warned that individuals transferred to unfamiliar nations face heightened risks including torture, ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, trafficking, and slavery. The experts noted that many migrants are being sent to countries experiencing armed conflict or severe humanitarian crises, where governments lack capacity to protect newcomers’ rights. The experts contacted the US and all 35 participating countries calling for an immediate halt to the policy.
The Trump administration has stated the deportations target individuals with criminal records. However, investigative reporting has documented cases of people expelled despite fleeing persecution, including an Iranian woman who had protested her government and a Ghanaian man fleeing his family after being outed. Human rights lawyers argue the arrangement circumvents US legal protections prohibiting deportation to countries where individuals face persecution, instead routing migrants through third nations before sending them to their home countries.
Representatives from human rights organizations described the UN statement as significant and timely. A lawyer working with the Global Strategic Litigation Council noted the statement offers accountability mechanisms, particularly for African nations involved in the agreements. She also cautioned that European countries currently considering similar offshore migration centers should take note of how the policy is being implemented and the human rights implications documented thus far.
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