Investigation maps Trump administration’s third-country deportations
A France 24 and Forbidden Stories investigation identified more than 25,000 removals since January 2025, amid warnings over detention, persecution and limited legal safeguards.
The Trump administration has deported more than 25,000 people since January 2025 to countries other than their countries of origin, according to a France 24 and Forbidden Stories investigation. The consortium identified at least 5,447 people from 89 nationalities who were flown to 28 countries by 31 August 2026.
About 20,000 non-Mexican nationals were reportedly sent to Mexico by land, despite Mexico saying it has no formal agreement with the United States to receive them. The investigation also found deportation arrangements enabling transfers to seven additional countries, with Guyana reportedly receiving six people from Cuba and Afghanistan in early September.
The figures are an investigative count based on NGO networks, flight-tracking data, freedom-of-information requests, lawyers and open-source reporting, rather than complete official data. The United States has reportedly pledged more than US$81 million to 13 governments linked to deportation arrangements.
The administration says its policy targets people with criminal records. But the investigation, NGO reports and interviews with 33 deportees indicate that many had no criminal record, while others had completed their sentences. Some people sent to third countries had legal protection preventing their removal to countries where they faced danger.
NGOs and lawyers have reported arbitrary detention and degrading treatment, including alleged abuse in El Salvador. Human rights groups have also warned of “chain refoulement”, in which people transferred to a third country are later sent to the country they originally fled. The investigation reported cases involving people who feared persecution based on their political circumstances, safety or sexual orientation.
A US federal appeals court ruled on 18 September that removals to third countries without a meaningful opportunity to raise fears of torture or persecution are illegal. The Department of Homeland Security says the ruling will not prevent the policy from continuing, while lawyers who brought the case say it is effective immediately and anticipate possible further proceedings.
