Trump ramps up third-country US deportations despite global rights outcry
News Source
β’Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:54:26 +0000
π° What Happened
US immigration officers have sharply increased arrests and deportations since Donald Trump became president in January 2025. He had promised the "largest deportation operation in American history," and officers now make thousands of arrests a day.
Many of those held are asylum seekers, who are meant to get a chance to explain the dangers they would face at home. US law and treaties like the UN Convention Against Torture ban sending anyone to a country where they would be tortured or killed.
π The Backstory
Sending people to a third country is not new, but rights groups say it was very rare before Trump and has never happened at this scale. Some US courts called the practice illegal, but the Supreme Court has let it continue, including in a ruling in September.
Because these deportations need another country's approval, the US has struck deals. Liberia agreed to take up to 1,200 people, and Cameroon agreed in December 2025. Rights groups count more than 25,000 people sent to third countries so far; the government's own data shows at least 16,000 cases.
π― Why It Matters
Rights groups and UN experts say the practice is causing a "cascade of human rights violations" around the world. It could weaken the rules that protect refugees and asylum seekers, which were built up over decades after World War Two. Governments everywhere watch US policy closely, so a change here can spread.
US immigration officers have sharply increased arrests and deportations since Donald Trump became president in January 2025. He had promised the "largest deportation operation in American history," and officers now make thousands of arrests a day.
Many of those held are asylum seekers, who are meant to get a chance to explain the dangers they would face at home. US law and treaties like the UN Convention Against Torture ban sending anyone to a country where they would be tortured or killed.
Sending people to a third country is not new, but rights groups say it was very rare before Trump and has never happened at this scale. Some US courts called the practice illegal, but the Supreme Court has let it continue, including in a ruling in September.
Because these deportations need another country's approval, the US has struck deals. Liberia agreed to take up to 1,200 people, and Cameroon agreed in December 2025. Rights groups count more than 25,000 people sent to third countries so far; the government's own data shows at least 16,000 cases.
Rights groups and UN experts say the practice is causing a "cascade of human rights violations" around the world. It could weaken the rules that protect refugees and asylum seekers, which were built up over decades after World War Two. Governments everywhere watch US policy closely, so a change here can spread.