US Third-Country Deportation Policy Faces Legal Challenges Amid Investigation Findings

An international media investigation has highlighted the United States government's practice of deporting migrants to third countries with which they have no personal ties. Conducted by 24 media organizations under the Deportation Project led by Forbidden Stories, the report analyzed records and interviewed over 100 individuals to detail the scale of these third-country removals. The findings reveal that more than 25,000 people have been sent to foreign nations under agreements negotiated by the administration of President Donald Trump.

According to data gathered by Refugees International and Human Rights First, approximately 20,000 individuals have been transferred to Mexico, while over 5,000 others have been placed on deportation flights to various nations across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Central Asia. The Deportation Project tracked at least 100 flights to 28 countries, noting a recent increase in activity. Human Rights First recorded a peak in August, when 16 flights carried migrants to 13 different third-party nations.

LEGAL RULING AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

The policy encountered a major legal obstacle on Friday when a US federal appeals court ruled that third-country removals are unlawful. The court determined that the practice violates due process because affected individuals are not given sufficient advance notice to legally challenge their reassigned destinations. While human rights lawyers contend the ruling should halt these flights immediately, the federal government is expected to appeal the decision.

In response to the findings, a State Department spokesperson reaffirmed that executing border control policies remains a top priority. The spokesperson stated that the administration remains committed to ending mass unauthorized immigration and securing the border, adding that the US government will utilize all legal avenues to remove individuals who lack a legal right to remain in the country.

DETAILS OF THIRD-COUNTRY AGREEMENTS

While official statements have characterized deportees as criminals, internal documents obtained by the Washington Post indicate that the majority of the 35 countries entering into these arrangements with the US specified they would not accept individuals with violent criminal records. The project documented instances where individuals granted legal protections by US immigration judges were still removed.

One documented case involved a 32-year-old Iranian national, identified under the pseudonym Nika, who was granted withholding of removal by an immigration judge after fleeing political persecution in Iran. Despite receiving legal permission to reside and work in the US, Department of Homeland Security officers re-arrested her and placed her on a flight to the Central African Republic. The investigation noted similar transfers, including individuals from Colombia and Peru sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a group sent to Equatorial Guinea after refusing to disembark in Liberia.