More than 16,000 third-country deportations: Trump ramps up US removals despite global rights outcry
Deportations beyond home countries
US authorities have stepped up detentions and removals since January 2025. Among those deported are people seeking asylum, who are supposed to have an opportunity to explain the dangers they could face if returned to their home country.
US law and international agreements, including the United Nations Convention Against Torture, prohibit deporting people to countries where they would face persecution or torture. The practice of sending people to a third country has drawn criticism from rights groups and the United Nations.
A sharp rise in recorded cases
Department of Homeland Security data records more than 16,000 third-country deportation cases between Trump taking office in January 2025 and August 2026, the latest month available. The data was provided to the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles, and analysed by Al Jazeera.
The figure is likely an undercount. Rights groups say such deportations were extremely rare before the Trump administration and are now taking place at a scale not previously seen in the United States.
Legal challenges and agreements
Some US courts have found the practice illegal, but the Supreme Court has allowed it to continue, including in a ruling in September. Rights groups say people sent to other countries would not have been deported without their consent.
Some countries have agreed to hold deportees temporarily. Others have signed Asylum Cooperative Agreements, also called “Safe Third Country Agreements,” allowing deportees to pursue asylum claims in the country hosting them.
Incentives for receiving countries
The number of destination countries has grown as the US offers financial aid or business and visa concessions in exchange for accepting people the administration seeks to remove. Liberia has agreed to take up to 1,200 deportees. The Trump administration said at one point it would extend certain Liberian visas from 12 to 36 months and has committed $124m for the country’s health services.
Key points
- US authorities recorded more than 16,000 third-country deportation cases through August 2026, likely an undercount.
- US law and international treaties prohibit deportation to places where people face persecution or torture.
- The Supreme Court has allowed the practice to continue, despite some courts finding it illegal.
- Liberia agreed to accept up to 1,200 deportees, alongside US aid and visa measures.