The United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to countries with which they have no known ties under agreements negotiated with 35 nations, according to an international investigation.
The investigation, published by Forbidden Stories and reported by Channels Television, found that at least 25,447 people had been deported to third countries as of August 31, 2026.
The arrangements allow Washington to transfer migrants who cannot legally be returned directly to their countries of origin to other nations willing to receive them.
The policy expanded after President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and his administration increased efforts to remove migrants from the United States.
According to the investigation, the United States has earmarked about $410 million for payments to receiving countries or United Nations agencies involved in facilitating the deportations.
Mexico has received the largest number of migrants under the arrangements, with around 20,000 people reportedly sent there.
The remaining deportees were dispersed among 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific, while agreements had been finalised with seven additional countries.
The agreements differ from country to country, including provisions concerning the nationalities that can be accepted and whether people with criminal records are eligible for transfer.
The investigation also found that 49 of Africa’s 54 countries had reportedly been approached about accepting migrants deported from the United States.
One example cited in the investigation involves Cameroon, which signed a memorandum of understanding with Washington in December to accept third-country deportees.
The first flight carrying deportees under the arrangement reportedly arrived in Cameroon on January 14, 2026.
Other agreements have involved financial arrangements with receiving countries.
Palau, a Pacific island nation with a population of fewer than 18,000 people, reportedly agreed in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in exchange for $7.5 million.
The investigation identified a little-known US State Department division known as the Office of Remigration as a key body involved in negotiating many of the arrangements.
The office, created in May 2025, has reportedly handled negotiations and payments connected with several of the third-country deportation agreements.
The expansion of the policy has attracted legal scrutiny, particularly over the protections available to migrants after they are transferred to countries where they have no family, citizenship or established community ties.
A US federal appeals court ruled on September 18 that migrants must have a meaningful opportunity to raise safety concerns before being deported to third countries under the policy.
The ruling followed earlier litigation challenging the administration’s approach to rapid third-country deportations.
The legal dispute centres partly on whether migrants who cannot be returned to their home countries because of existing protection orders or safety concerns can nevertheless be transferred elsewhere.
The US government has maintained its authority to carry out immigration enforcement and deportations, while the legal challenges have focused on the procedures and protections that must accompany such transfers.
The arrangements have also generated particular attention in Africa as Washington seeks agreements with governments willing to accept deportees from countries other than their own.
An earlier AFP investigation reported that visa restrictions and other measures were being used by Washington to encourage some African governments to accept third-country deportees.
The countries involved have different arrangements with the United States, meaning the number of migrants accepted and the conditions attached to each agreement vary.
For migrants affected by the policy, the destination can therefore be a country where they have never lived and with which they have no previous personal or legal connection.
The scale of the programme also marks a significant expansion of third-country deportation arrangements compared with traditional deportations, which generally involve returning individuals to their countries of citizenship or previous residence.
The issue is expected to remain subject to legal and diplomatic scrutiny as the US administration continues negotiating agreements with other governments.
For countries considering such arrangements, questions surrounding financial assistance, immigration management, diplomatic relations and the treatment of transferred migrants remain central to the negotiations.
As more agreements become public, the policy is likely to generate further debate over the balance between national immigration enforcement and the legal protections available to people facing removal.