The United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to countries with which they have no known ties under a series of agreements negotiated with foreign governments, an international investigation has revealed.
The investigation, published Monday by Forbidden Stories in collaboration with a consortium of international journalists, found that the administration of President Donald Trump had entered into arrangements with 35 countries to receive migrants who could not be deported directly to their countries of origin.
According to the investigation, at least 25,447 people had been transferred to third countries as of August 31, 2026.
Mexico received the largest number, with about 20,000 deportees, while thousands of others were sent to 27 countries across Africa, Latin America and the Pacific.
Seven additional countries have reportedly finalised agreements with Washington but had yet to receive deportees.
The arrangements differ from country to country, including the nationalities that can be transferred and whether countries will accept deportees with criminal records.
The United States has reportedly earmarked about $410 million for the programme, with funds going either directly to participating governments or through United Nations agencies involved in facilitating the transfers.
The investigation said the US had approached 49 of Africa’s 54 countries over possible agreements to accept migrants deported from the United States.
Earlier this year, an AFP investigation reported that Washington had used visa restrictions and other measures against some African countries in an effort to secure their cooperation in receiving deportees.
Lawyers cited in the investigation raised concerns about the treatment of migrants transferred to countries where they have no family, legal or other established connections.
They described the situation as creating a “legal black hole”, with some deportees allegedly being detained without charge and having limited access to legal protections.
A relatively obscure State Department unit, the Office of Remigration, established in May 2025, has reportedly overseen much of the negotiations and payments.
The office is headed by Christian Jove Ehrhardt, a 41-year-old diplomat and former security officer.
Cameroon among receiving countries
Cameroon is one of the African countries that reached an agreement with Washington.
The investigation said Ehrhardt visited Cameroon during negotiations that culminated in a memorandum of understanding signed in December on accepting third-country deportees.
A week later, Cameroon signed a five-year health assistance programme with the United States worth nearly $400 million.
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The following month, the US State Department announced an additional $30 million for the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in Cameroon to support the “voluntary return of refugees and combat illegal immigration.”
The first aircraft carrying deportees under the arrangement reportedly arrived in Cameroon on January 14.
Payments to receiving countries
Some of the agreements involve direct financial payments to governments.
Palau, a Pacific island nation with a population of fewer than 18,000, signed an agreement in December 2025 to accept up to 75 third-country nationals in exchange for $7.5 million.
So far, only three people have reportedly been transferred there.
In Eswatini, 32 people have arrived since July 2025 under an agreement allowing for up to 160 deportees. The deal is reportedly worth more than $5 million and includes people with criminal records.
State Department records reviewed by Forbidden Stories showed that $81 million of the $410 million earmarked for the agreements was intended for governments that signed the deals.
More than $178 million was allocated to the International Organisation for Migration, while another $123 million was earmarked for UNHCR.
The involvement of the UN agencies has attracted scrutiny.
UNHCR told the investigation that it was not a party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding was being used in accordance with its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.
The International Organisation for Migration said its decision to accept funding was based on whether its involvement would improve the lives of affected migrants, adding that it believed its participation in the cases examined did so.