The Trump administration deported more than 25,000 people to countries other than their own, a practice that continues to raise human rights concerns. Nika, a 32-year-old Iranian woman who fled political repression, was granted legal protections in the US only to be rearrested and deported to the Central African Republic, where she fears being sent back to Iran. This case is one of over 5,000 in which individuals have been flown to countries with no connection to their origin, sometimes after US immigration judges ruled their lives or liberties were at risk in their home countries. Approximately 20,000 people were sent to Mexico, while over 5,000 were flown to countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and central Asia. Human rights lawyers characterize these “third-country national arrangements” as a “show of force” intended to deter migrants and asylum seekers. Instances include individuals from Peru and Colombia deported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a group of six, four Cubans, a Brazilian, and a Cameroonian, initially refused entry into Liberia and subsequently sent to Equatorial Guinea. The scale of this deportation campaign, largely conducted behind closed doors, was revealed through a collaborative investigation involving 24 media organizations.
Our reading is that the reported deportations to third countries represent a continuation of the Trump administration’s assertive immigration policies, prioritizing deterrence over due process. The scale of the operation, conducted largely in secret, suggests a deliberate effort to circumvent legal and ethical concerns. The fact that individuals were deported despite rulings regarding risks to their safety in their home countries underscores a willingness to prioritize enforcement over individual rights, and the selection of countries with existing humanitarian crises, like the DRC, raises serious questions about the administration’s intentions.
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