The investigation, published Monday by Forbidden Stories in collaboration with a consortium of journalists, found that the administration of US President Donald Trump has been working with developing countries to receive migrants who cannot legally be returned to their countries of origin.
Since Trump took office in January 2025, the US has earmarked about $410 million for the agreements, with funds expected to be paid either directly to receiving governments or to United Nations agencies involved in facilitating the returns.
Data compiled by Forbidden Stories showed that at least 25,447 people had been deported to third countries as of August 31, 2026.
Mexico received the largest number, with about 20,000 deportees, while the remainder were sent to 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. Agreements have also reportedly been finalised with seven additional countries.
The arrangements differ from country to country, including the nationalities that can be accepted and whether deportees with criminal records are eligible.
An earlier AFP investigation found that Washington had used visa bans and other restrictions on some African countries to pressure them into accepting deportees.
Lawyers cited in the investigation said some deportees were being placed in a “legal black hole”, where they could be detained without charge in countries where they had no connections and had limited legal protections.
Cameroon received its first plane carrying deportees on January 14, while the US State Department later announced an additional $30 million for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Cameroon to support the voluntary return of refugees and efforts against illegal immigration.
Other agreements have involved direct payments to governments. Palau, a Pacific island nation with a population of fewer than 18,000, agreed 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 sent there.
In Eswatini, 32 people have arrived since July 2025 out of a possible 160 under an agreement valued at more than $5 million. The country has accepted deportees with criminal records, according to the investigation.
Of the $410 million allocated for the agreements, internal US State Department records showed that $81 million was earmarked for governments that signed the deals.
More than $178 million was intended for the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, while $123 million was allocated to UNHCR.
The involvement of the UN agencies has attracted criticism. UNHCR told Forbidden Stories that it was not a party to the bilateral agreements and that US funding was being used in line with its mandate to strengthen asylum systems.
An IOM spokesperson said the agency’s decision to accept funding was based on whether its involvement would improve the lives of affected migrants, adding that it believed this was the case in the agreements in question.
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