The United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to countries with which they have no previous ties under agreements negotiated by Washington, according to an investigation by Forbidden Stories and a consortium of international journalists.
The investigation found that since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, the US has reached deals with developing countries to accept migrants who cannot legally be deported directly to their home countries.
At least 25,447 people had been deported to third countries as of August 31, 2026, according to data compiled by the investigators.
Mexico received the largest number, with about 20,000 deportees, while others were sent to 27 countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. Agreements have also reportedly been concluded with seven additional countries.
The investigation said the US has allocated about $410 million for the arrangements, with payments going directly to receiving countries or to United Nations agencies helping to facilitate the transfers.
The terms of the agreements vary, including the nationalities that can be transferred and whether countries will accept deportees with criminal records.
An earlier AFP investigation reported that Washington had used visa bans and restrictions against some African countries to pressure them into accepting deportees.
Lawyers cited in the latest investigation warned that migrants sent to countries where they have no ties could be left in what they described as a “legal black hole”, with some potentially detained without charge and having limited access to legal protection.
Forbidden Stories said 49 of Africa’s 54 countries had been approached about accepting third-country deportees.
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The negotiations have largely been handled by the State Department’s Office of Remigration, a division created in May 2025.
The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat who previously worked as a security officer.
Cameroon is among the countries that agreed to receive deportees, signing a memorandum of understanding with the US in December.
A week later, Cameroon signed a five-year health assistance programme reportedly worth nearly $400 million.
The following month, the US State Department announced an additional $30 million contribution to the UN Refugee Agency in Cameroon to support what it described as the “voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration.”
The first plane carrying deportees under the arrangement arrived in Cameroon on January 14.
