ICE expands its strategy of deportations to third countries by transferring more than 100 deportees to Africa

Over a ten-day period, the Trump administration carried out the transfer of more than one hundred people in irregular immigration status to eight African nations, effectively expanding its third-country deportation program, according to internal federal government documents obtained and released by CBS News.

The logistics organized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) included three deportation flights that transported men and women to Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone.

None of the deportees held citizenship in the receiving countries. The list of those transferred included citizens from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Nepal, Turkey, and Venezuela, as well as detainees of African origin who were not nationals of the destination countries.

The legal framework for the deportations and the government's response

This operation is driven by third-country agreements, a mechanism through which more than 30 nations worldwide have agreed to receive foreigners expelled from U.S. territory.

While some countries in the region only accept people from their own continent, others, such as Eswatini, Liberia, and the Central African Republic, have received nationals from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

In response to inquiries from CBS News about implementing these measures, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the legality of the procedure and the responsibility of the individuals involved for their final destination.

"If an undocumented foreign national decides to file a lawsuit in court refusing to return to their country of origin, we are required by law to find a safe and secure country to which they can go. If an undocumented foreign national decides to go home, we will provide a free return flight and a check for $3,000," the DHS stated in an official press release sent to the media outlet. "The choice is theirs."

Among those deported are individuals with criminal records for serious offenses committed on U.S. soil, while others have accumulated removal orders for unauthorized entry or for failing to meet the legal requirements to remain in the country.

The scope of rulings in immigration courts

The case of a 24-year-old Afghan citizen identified as Khalil illustrates how this policy works. Khalil entered the country illegally via the southern border in 2024 after traveling through several Latin American countries.

In August 2025, an immigration judge granted him the protection known as "withholding of removal" after considering potential risks in his home country, although he was not granted asylum due to prior regulations that disqualify those who did not apply for protection in the transit countries.

Although this legal status prevented ICE from sending him back to Afghanistan, the current regulatory framework does not restrict deportation to a third-country destination. Federal authorities have increased the use of these transfers to enforce final removal orders issued by the competent courts.