US deported 25,000 migrants to third countries: Investigation

The United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to nations where they hold no legal status or personal connections under agreements negotiated by the Trump administration since January, according to an investigation by Forbidden Stories.

Cross-border probe

The investigation was conducted by a consortium of 72 journalists from 26 media organizations across 15 countries, incorporating more than 100 interviews with deportees, government officials, lawyers and experts. As of Aug. 31, at least 25,447 people had been sent to 28 countries under the policy, which targets so-called third-country nationals — migrants expelled to destinations other than their countries of origin.

Financial structure

Internal State Department records obtained by The Washington Post revealed that Washington planned to spend at least $410 million to secure the agreements, with $81 million earmarked for governments that signed the deals. More than $178 million was allocated to the International Organization for Migration and over $123 million to the UN refugee agency, while the agreements are largely negotiated by the State Department's Office of Remigration, a division established in 2025.

Court intervention

The White House stated that the migrants sent to third countries are individuals whose home nations refuse to accept them, including those with removal orders who have asked not to be returned to their countries of origin. A US federal appeals court on Sept. 18 ordered the third-country removals halted, ruling that migrants had not been given sufficient notice or an opportunity to challenge their deportation.