US deported more than 16,000 people to third countries — Al Jazeera
From January 2025 to August 2026, the United States carried out more than 16,000 deportations of people to third countries — states with which they may have no cultural or legal ties. Data from the US Department of Homeland Security were provided to the Deportation Data Project, based at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles, and analyzed by Al Jazeera.
The outlet notes that official statistics likely do not reflect the full number of such cases. According to estimates by Refugees International and Human Rights First, which relied on media reports and information from lawyers, more than 25,000 people may have been subjected to forced deportation to third countries.
Agreements with other states
After President Donald Trump came to power in January 2025, US immigration authorities significantly intensified detentions and deportations. The US administration is reaching agreements with an increasing number of countries to accept third-country nationals whom Washington seeks to expel.
Some countries, including El Salvador and Eswatini, have agreed to hold deportees in prisons. Other states accept them temporarily under asylum cooperation agreements that allow people to apply for asylum in a third country.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Liberia agreed to accept up to 1,200 deportees. The Trump administration had previously stated that it would extend the validity period of certain visas for Liberians from 12 to 36 months and also committed to provide $124 million for healthcare services in the country. Cameroon, which agreed in December 2025 to accept third-country nationals from the United States, is to receive $30 million for UN refugee work and $400 million for the healthcare system over the coming years.
Criticism from human rights advocates
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Refugees International and Human Rights First, as well as UN experts, have criticized the practice of deportations to third countries. They point out that some people may be sent to states where they do not know the language, have no documents, and do not understand local conditions.
Critics also argue that some receiving countries have problems with respecting human rights or are so dangerous that the US government advises its citizens not to visit them. UN experts said that this practice causes a “cascade of human rights violations” around the world. Some US courts have concluded that such deportations are unlawful, but the US Supreme Court allowed them to continue, including in a ruling in September.
