US Spends $59 Million Deporting Immigrants to 29 Third Countries
U.S. government spent nearly $50 million to remove over 25,000 migrants to nations other than their homes, per new report.
Key points
- The U.S. spent nearly $50 million to deport over 25,000 immigrants to 29 third countries.
- Mexico received the highest number of deportees, with over 20,000 individuals sent there.
- The Central African Republic and other African nations received hundreds of migrants, despite safety warnings.
The U.S. government has allocated nearly $50 million to facilitate the deportation of more than 25,000 immigrants to at least 29 nations that are not their countries of origin. This practice, known as third-country deportation, has emerged as a primary strategy for the Department of Homeland Security to remove individuals who cannot be sent back to their home countries due to legal or safety constraints.
According to Baptist News Global, a joint report by Refugee International and Human Rights First describes the process as an opaque network of bilateral agreements and informal deals. The organizations argue that this system allows authorities to transfer asylum seekers and refugees to destinations with which they have no prior ties, often with minimal warning and limited opportunity to present evidence of potential persecution or torture.
Mexico leads destination numbers
Mexico stands out as the primary recipient of these forced removals, having accepted over 20,000 deportees. Other significant destinations in the Americas include Guatemala, which received at least 3,405 individuals, and Costa Rica, which took 624. Honduras and Panama also appear on the list with 558 and 360 deportees, respectively, indicating a broad geographic spread across the Western Hemisphere.
Beyond the Americas, the report identifies at least 469 immigrants sent to African nations. Ghana received 100, while the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea accepted 92 and 66, respectively. A smaller number of individuals were deported to European and Asian countries, including Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Kosovo, highlighting the global reach of these administrative actions.
High-profile cases draw scrutiny
One case has attracted significant attention: that of Yasmani Moreno de Armas, a Cuban immigrant detained in Florida in May 2025. Court documents indicate he was deported to the Central African Republic approximately three months later. According to CBS News, Moreno de Armas learned of his destination only upon arrival, where he found himself alongside migrants from Ecuador, Russia, Serbia, and Honduras.
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 advisory for the Central African Republic, warning of severe risks including unrest, crime, and kidnapping. Another prominent case involves Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who was deported in violation of a court order before being returned to the United States. He remains in Maryland, facing criminal charges that authorities hope will facilitate his eventual removal to a third country such as Uganda or Liberia.
Incentives and diplomatic pressures
The report suggests that participating nations engage in this practice for various reasons, including direct financial payments, military aid, or efforts to maintain favorable relations with the Trump administration. In other instances, countries are coerced into compliance through threats of visa bans, deportation of their own nationals, or the imposition of tariffs and other trade barriers.
Amnesty International has condemned the policy, characterizing it as part of a broader campaign to dehumanize migrant communities. The organization states that mass detention and unlawful removals tear families apart and waste billions in taxpayer money. As the administration continues to pursue these removals, the legal and diplomatic implications of sending migrants to unstable or hostile third countries remain a central point of contention.
