An international journalistic investigation prepared by the “Forbidden Stories” group revealed a wide network of agreements concluded by the administration of US President Donald Trump with about 35 countries, aimed at receiving immigrants deported from the United States in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and funding.
The investigation revealed that, as of August 31, 2026, the United States had deported at least 25,447 people to third countries, the majority of whom had no connection to them, as part of a policy that focused on immigrants who were legally unable to be deported to their countries of origin.
The data showed that Mexico topped the list by receiving about 20,000 people, while the rest were distributed among 27 countries in Latin America, Africa and the Pacific, before 7 additional countries later joined the network. The terms of the agreements varied from one country to another, especially with regard to the nationalities of the recipients or the acceptance of people with criminal records.
The US administration has allocated no less than $410 million to support these arrangements. Of this, about $81 million was directed directly to governments that agreed to receive the deportees, while the largest portion was allocated to international and relief organizations. Internal records of the US State Department indicate that more than $178 million has been allocated to the International Organization for Migration, and about $123 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Most of these negotiations were managed by the “Remigration Office” created within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 2025, headed by diplomat Christian Joffe Erhardt (41 years old), a former security officer.
The investigation highlighted specific models, most notably in Cameroon, which signed a memorandum of understanding in December to receive migrants, followed by the announcement of an American health aid program worth approximately $400 million for a period of 5 years, and an additional $30 million to the United Nations High Commissioner to support voluntary return and combat irregular migration, with the first plane carrying deportees arriving in Cameroon on January 14. On the island of Palau, which has a population of less than 18 thousand people, the December 2025 agreement stipulated the reception of up to 75 people in exchange for $7.5 million, but only 3 people were transferred to it. As for Eswatini, 32 people arrived out of 160 stipulated in the July 2025 agreement for $5 million, which allowed the reception of those with criminal records.
In the diplomatic context, Washington contacted 49 out of 54 African countries to implement this policy. A previous investigation by Agence France-Presse indicated that Washington has resorted to visa restrictions to pressure African countries to accept deportees, amid warnings from lawyers about the extremely complex legal situations faced by those transferred to countries without previous ties with them.
For its part, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees clarified that it is not a party to bilateral agreements, and that American funds are used to strengthen asylum systems as part of its missions. The International Organization for Migration confirmed that its participation is based on an assessment that contributes to improving the conditions of the migrants concerned.
These developments come within a strict immigration policy adopted by the Trump administration since its return to the White House in January 2025 by expanding the scope of deportation to “third countries,” which sparked a broad legal and human rights debate locally and internationally regarding the guarantees available to deportees.
