What began as a narrow deportation tactic early in President Trump’s second term has, in under two years, grown into a vast international system. According to new reporting, at least 35 governments are now cooperating with Washington to accept migrants who are not their own citizens, with roughly 23,000 people deported under these so-called “third-country” agreements so far.
Of those 35 participating nations, 18 are in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the practice has also expanded well beyond the Western Hemisphere, reaching countries in Africa and Asia. Mexico remains the single largest recipient of these transfers, absorbing the bulk of migrants sent under the arrangement, even when those individuals originally come from other countries.
The strategy allows US authorities to deport migrants to nations willing to accept them even when they hold no citizenship or prior residency there, effectively outsourcing part of the deportation process to allied or cooperative governments. Analysts note that the network appears likely to keep growing, as more countries strike deals—often quietly—with the administration.
Critics argue the system lacks transparency, pointing out that many of these agreements are not publicly disclosed in detail, making it difficult to track exactly where migrants end up or what conditions they face upon arrival. Human rights advocates have raised concerns about accountability and due process within this rapidly expanding framework.
To explore the full scope of this global deportation network and the countries involved, read the original report at eltiempo.com.
Source: Trump extiende por el mundo su política de deportaciones: van 23.000 migrantes enviados a terceros países (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: UT Moody College of Communication, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).