WASHINGTON — The United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to countries with which they have no previous ties under a network of secretive agreements reached with 35 nations, according to a major international investigation.
The investigation, published Monday by Forbidden Stories in collaboration with a consortium of international journalists, revealed that the administration of US President Donald Trump has been negotiating agreements with developing countries to receive migrants who cannot legally be deported directly to their countries of origin.
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, Washington has reportedly earmarked about $410 million for the programme, with funds going either directly to receiving governments or to United Nations agencies involved in facilitating the transfers.
According to data compiled by Forbidden Stories, 25,447 people had been deported to third countries as of August 31, 2026.
More Read
The overwhelming majority — approximately 20,000 people — were sent to Mexico, while thousands of others were transferred to 27 additional countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific.
Agreements have also reportedly been finalized with seven more countries.
The arrangements differ from country to country, including the nationalities that can be transferred and whether governments will accept migrants with criminal records.
More Read
African Countries Under Pressure
The development comes amid growing scrutiny of Washington’s efforts to persuade African governments to accept migrants from countries other than their own.
An earlier AFP investigation reported that the United States had used visa restrictions and other measures involving African countries as leverage in negotiations over the acceptance of deportees.
Lawyers interviewed by AFP said some migrants were effectively being placed in a “legal black hole”, detained in countries where they had no family or other meaningful connections and where their legal protections could be limited.
Forbidden Stories reported that 49 of Africa’s 54 countries had been approached about accepting third-country deportees.
The negotiations have largely been handled by a little-known State Department division known as the Office of Remigration, which was established in May 2025.
The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat who previously worked as a security officer.
More Read
Cameroon Deal Raises Questions
According to the investigation, Ehrhardt travelled to Cameroon as part of negotiations that eventually resulted in a memorandum of understanding signed in December for the country to accept deportees from third countries.
One week later, Cameroon signed a five-year health assistance programme with the United States worth nearly $400 million.
The following month, the US State Department announced an additional $30 million contribution to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Cameroon.
Washington said the funding would help “facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration.”
The first aircraft carrying deportees under the arrangement reportedly arrived in Cameroon on January 14.
Millions of Dollars Offered to Receiving Nations
Some of the agreements involve direct financial payments to governments willing to accept third-country deportees.
In the Pacific, Palau, a small island nation with a population of fewer than 18,000 people, signed an agreement with the United States in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in exchange for $7.5 million.
However, only three people have reportedly been transferred to Palau under the agreement so far.
In Eswatini, 32 people have arrived since July 2025 under an agreement that allows for up to 160 deportees. The deal is reportedly worth more than $5 million and allows the country to accept migrants with criminal records.
Internal State Department records reviewed by Forbidden Stories reportedly show that of the $410 million earmarked for the various arrangements, approximately $81 million was designated for governments that signed the agreements.
The remaining funds were intended for aid and international organizations.
More than $178 million was reportedly earmarked for the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), while another $123 million was allocated to UNHCR.
UN Agencies Defend Their Involvement
The involvement of UN agencies in the arrangements has attracted criticism from rights advocates and other observers.
UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not a party to the bilateral agreements between the United States and receiving governments.
The agency said US funding was being used in accordance with its mandate, including efforts to strengthen asylum systems.
The International Organization for Migration also defended its involvement.
An IOM spokesperson told Forbidden Stories that the organization’s decision to accept funding was based on whether its participation would improve the circumstances of affected migrants.
The spokesperson said the agency believed its involvement in these cases “strongly” met that standard.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration’s deportation policy and the growing use of third countries to receive migrants who cannot be immediately returned to their countries of origin.
