More than 20 independent UN human rights experts have warned that U.S. agreements to deport migrants to countries other than their own are increasing the risk of serious human rights violations, including torture, trafficking, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. The experts said the United States has reached arrangements with more than 35 countries since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. They said at least 23,000 third-country nationals had been removed under such arrangements, although a recent investigation by Forbidden Stories and international media partners put the figure at more than 25,000 by the end of August.
The experts said many deportees are being sent to countries where they have no previous ties and where adequate asylum systems, medical services or reintegration programmes may be lacking. They warned that some receiving countries are themselves affected by conflict, poverty or displacement. Among the countries identified in connection with the arrangements are Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya and South Sudan. The UN experts said the policy could undermine the international principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending people to a country where they face a serious risk of persecution, torture or other grave human rights abuses. UN human rights mechanisms have previously raised concerns about U.S. removals to third countries and the need for safeguards against such risks.
They said people considered particularly vulnerable include children, trafficking survivors, women, people with disabilities, stateless people and human rights defenders. The experts have notified the governments involved and urged them to halt arrangements that could expose deportees to serious violations. They also stressed that cooperation between states does not remove their individual responsibilities under international human rights law. The U.S. government has defended its broader deportation policy as part of its efforts to enforce immigration laws, while the UN experts’ warning focuses specifically on the human rights safeguards surrounding transfers to third countries.
