The U.S. government has deported thousands of non-citizens to countries where they do not hold citizenship under a series of bilateral agreements, according to a joint media investigation published Monday. The report, coordinated by the Paris-based organization Forbidden Stories and including The Guardian, found that the policy affects individuals from various nations, including some who had previously been granted legal protection against removal to their countries of origin.
The investigation tracked over 100 deportation flights to 28 different countries. Citing data from Refugees International and Human Rights First, the report stated that more than 25,000 people have been deported to countries that are not their own under the policy. This figure includes approximately 20,000 individuals sent to Mexico and over 5,000 flown to nations in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.
These removals are carried out under arrangements referred to as “third-country national arrangements.” According to documents obtained by The Washington Post as part of the investigation, the U.S. administration has pledged at least $410 million to 38 countries that have agreed to accept deportees. The report notes that many of these agreements stipulate that the receiving countries will not accept individuals with violent criminal records.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said implementing the administration’s immigration policies is a “top priority.” In a statement provided for the report, the spokesperson added, “The US government will use all legal means to remove those with no right to remain in our country.” Human rights lawyers cited in the report described the policy as a measure intended to discourage asylum seekers from entering the country.
The policy has faced legal challenges. A U.S. federal appeals court recently ruled that third-country removals were unlawful, stating they violated due process because individuals were not given sufficient notification to mount a legal challenge. The government is expected to appeal the ruling.
The investigation highlighted several individual cases. One case involved an Iranian woman, identified by the pseudonym Nika, who was granted “withholding of removal,” a form of protection for individuals who may face harm in their home country. After being released from an immigration detention center on a judge’s order, she was re-arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and flown to the Central African Republic, a country to which she had no known connection.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, is providing post-arrival support, including food and lodging, to deportees in 13 of the host countries. According to a federal spending database cited in the report, U.S. funding for IOM programs has increased in countries that accept deportees under these agreements.
In a statement, an IOM spokesperson said the agency’s decisions to accept funding and provide assistance are guided by its mandate and whether its involvement will “improve the lives of the migrants affected.” Some human rights advocates quoted in the report expressed concern about the U.N. agency’s role in a program facilitating these deportations.
