US secretly deported 25,000 migrants to third countries, media report

September 21, 2026 at 02:52 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to third countries under secret agreements since Donald Trump took office, according to a consortium of investigative journalists. The administration allocated $410 million for the program, the Forbidden Stories network reported on Monday, September 21, citing an investigation by 24 media outlets. Most of those deported were sent by bus to Mexico, while others were flown to 27 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Central Asia, and the Pacific.

Key Facts

The US deported more than 25,000 migrants to third countries under secret agreements since Donald Trump took office.
The administration allocated $410 million for the deportation program, Forbidden Stories reported on September 21.
About 20,000 deportees were sent by bus to Mexico, and the rest were flown to 27 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Central Asia, and the Pacific.
Agreements were concluded with at least 38 countries, nearly a third of them African.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), part of the UN system, provides housing, food, and psychological assistance to deportees in 13 countries.

Deportation Program

The US has deported more than 25,000 migrants to third countries under secret agreements since Donald Trump took office. The administration allocated $410 million for the program, Forbidden Stories reported on Monday, September 21, citing an investigation by 24 media outlets. About 20,000 deportees were sent by bus to Mexico, while the rest were flown to 27 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Central Asia, and the Pacific. Agreements were concluded with at least 38 countries, nearly a third of them African.

Deportees and Legal Risks

Among those deported were people whom US courts had barred from being sent to their countries of origin due to risk of persecution or other serious threats. Some were subsequently sent to countries to which the US could not deport them directly. The investigation cites cases of citizens of Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, and Ghana deported to African countries. The real number of such deportations may be even higher.

Institutional Involvement

Negotiations with third countries and related payments are handled by a little-known State Department unit, the Bureau of Remigration. The bureau, created in May 2025, is headed by 41-year-old diplomat Christian Ehrhardt. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), part of the UN system, provides housing, food, and psychological assistance to deportees in 13 countries. Internal IOM documents indicate a risk that the organization may be perceived as complicit in US deportation policy.