Under a policy of third-country removals, the Trump administration has deported thousands of migrants and asylum seekers to countries where they have no personal connections, sparking international investigations and legal challenges according to a joint investigation by 24 media organisations including the Guardian. Among those affected is Nika, a 32-year-old Iranian woman who fled her home country after participating in anti-regime protests. After spending more than 18 months in a US immigration detention center and winning her release on a judge’s order, she was rearrested by the Department of Homeland Security and placed on a flight heading roughly 7,000 miles east to the Central African Republic (CAR).
How Third-Country Removals Operate
The policy involves deporting individuals to nations where they lack any existing ties rather than returning them to their countries of origin, where immigration judges may have ruled their lives or liberty were at risk. According to counts by Refugees International and Human Rights First cited in the investigation, the Trump administration has deported more than 25,000 people to countries not their own. This total includes approximately 20,000 individuals bussed to Mexico and more than 5,000 others sent via flights to nations across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.
Human rights lawyers characterize these actions as a “show of force” designed to deter migrants and asylum seekers. Document reviews and interviews conducted by the journalistic consortium revealed that the White House has pledged at least $410 million to secure deportation agreements with 35 different countries, nearly a third of them located in Africa. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, has led the deportation drive, utilizing state department appointments to implement the policy.
Legal Challenges and Court Rulings
A US federal appeals court ruled that third-country removals are unlawful because they violate due process by failing to provide individuals with adequate notification to mount legal challenges. Human rights lawyers suggested this ruling should immediately ground such deportation flights, though the government is expected to appeal the decision and push forward with its agenda. A state department spokesperson stated that implementing these immigration policies is a “top priority” to end illegal immigration and bolster border security.
Meanwhile, immigration attorneys face mounting difficulties representing detained clients. Legal advocates like Sahar Jalili have described grueling battles to prevent clients from being placed on third-country flights, often racing against time before aircraft depart.
Did You Know? Investigators tracked more than 100 flights carrying migrants and asylum seekers to 28 different countries, though researchers note this figure is likely an undercount because it only includes flights the consortium could independently verify.
Conditions in Host Countries and Humanitarian Concerns
Deported individuals often face severe hardship upon arrival in unfamiliar nations. Nika described arriving in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, without prior notice of her destination. She currently lives under self-imprisonment in a small bedroom, too fearful to venture out due to local safety warnings.
Other deportees have faced extreme distress. Rabbiatu Kuyateh, a 58-year-old nurse who spent most of her life in the US after fleeing Sierra Leone, was deported to Ghana before being sent onward to her childhood homeland. Footage showed her being forcibly dragged from temporary accommodation. Human rights advocates have raised concerns over the UN agency’s involvement, questioning whether financial backing compromises its mandate.
Expert Insight: The systematic use of third-country relocations demonstrates an administrative strategy to bypass domestic legal protections by shifting vulnerable asylum seekers into fragile transit hubs, raising profound questions regarding international human rights standards and due process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are third-country deportees being sent?
Deportees have been sent to approximately 28 different countries across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Central Asia, including the Central African Republic, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Eswatini, according to the media consortium’s investigation.
What legal protections did Nika hold before her deportation?
Nika had been granted “withholding of removal,” a legal protection for individuals facing severe harm in their home countries who are ineligible for asylum, and was released on a judge’s orders before being rearrested by the Department of Homeland Security.
How are these deportation flights funded and arranged?
The Trump administration has pledged at least $410 million to secure agreements with 35 different countries, utilizing state department officials and funneling millions in grants through organizations like the International Organization for Migration to support host countries.
How will the recent federal appeals court ruling reshape ongoing immigration enforcement and removal flights in the coming months?
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