What's happened
Human Rights Watch says US deportations to African countries violate international law by removing third-country nationals to destinations with little or no ties. The program has expanded under Trump’s return to power, with over 500 people affected and at least 12 LGBTQ individuals sent to hostile states. Critics warn of non-refoulement breaches and opaque deals.
What's behind the headline?
Brief
- HRW asserts the US’s third-country deportations to Africa and elsewhere breach international law and instrumentalise suffering to deter migration.
- Interviewed deportees describe harsh conditions, including long chains and limited medical care.
- LGBTQ individuals are among those sent to jurisdictions that criminalise or repress same-sex relations.
What this signals
- The issue exposes a broader policy framework that leverages diplomatic deals to relocate migrants rather than resolve asylum claims.
- It intensifies scrutiny of how “third-country” removals operate, including transparency, due process, and safeguards against non-refoulement breaches.
Forecast
- Legal and political pressure will mount on US authorities and partner states to disclose terms and reduce harm. Advocates foresee potential suspensions or reforms if due-process gaps persist.
How we got here
Since 2025, the US has struck third-country deportation agreements with multiple governments. HRW has interviewed 24 deportees across six countries, detailing chains on flights, lack of destination knowledge, and denial of medical access. The reports stress risks of detention and persecution in receiving states, underscoring debates around international law and human rights.
Our analysis
All Africa (multiple pieces), BBC Business, Arab News, and related wire reports are cited as covering HRW’s findings. Direct quotes include HRW officials describing the policy as violating international law and aiming to deter migration; US DHS counters that removals are a public-safety tool. See All Africa articles and BBC segment for details on interviews and conditions described by deportees.
Go deeper
- What countries are most affected by these third-country deportations?
- How do the deportees describe conditions on flights and upon arrival?
- What reforms or safeguards are advocates urging?
More on these topics
-
Eswatini - Country in Southern Africa
Eswatini, officially the Kingdom of Eswatini, sometimes written in English as eSwatini, and formerly and still commonly known in English as Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa.
-
The United States of America - Country in North America
The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.
-
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Country in Central Africa
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Kinshasa, Zaire, DR Congo, DRC, the DROC, or simply the Congo, is a country located in Central Africa. It was formerly called Zaire.
-
Human Rights Watch - Non-governmental organization
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights.
-
Palau - Island sovereign state in Oceania
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country located in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands, while the eastern and central parts make up the Federated States of Micronesia. It has a total area of 466 square kilometers (180 sq mi), making it the sixteenth smallest country in the world. The most populous island is Koror, home to the country's most populous city of the same name. The capital, Ngerulmud, is located on the largest island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with international waters to the north, the Federated States of Micronesia to the east, Indonesia to the south, and the Philippines to the northwest. The country was originally settled approximately 1,000 BCE by migrants from Maritime Southeast Asia. Palau was first drawn on a European map by the Bohemian missionary Paul Klein based on a description given by a group of Palauans shipwrecked on the Philippine coast on Samar. The Palau islands were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1885. Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American...
-
Central African Republic - Country in Central Africa
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, the Republic of the Congo to...
-
Equatorial Guinea - Sovereign state in Africa
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its..
-
Cameroon - Country in Central Africa
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to
-
South Sudan - Country in North Africa
South Sudan, officially known as the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa. It is bordered to the east by Ethiopia, to the north by Sudan, to the west by the Central African Republic, to the south-west by Democratic Repub
-
Donald John Trump - 45th and 47th U.S. President
Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
-
Burundi - Sovereign state in Africa
Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million people. It is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and southeast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Lake Tanganyika lies along its southwestern border. The political capital city is Gitega and the economic capital and largest city is Bujumbura. The Twa, Hutu, and Tutsi peoples have lived in Burundi for at least 500 years. For more than 200 of those years, Burundi was an independent kingdom. In 1885, it became part of the German colony of German East Africa. After the First World War and Germany's defeat, the League of Nations mandated the territories of Burundi and neighboring Rwanda to Belgium in a combined territory called Rwanda-Urundi. After the Second World War, this transformed into a United Nations Trust Territory. Burundi gained independence in 1962 and initially retained the monarchy. However, a coup d'état in 1966 replaced the monarchy with a one-party republic, and for the next 27 years, Burundi was ruled...
-
Africa - Continent
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.3 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area.
-
Ecuador - Country in South America
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
-
British Broadcasting Corporation - Broadcasting company
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Headquartered at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London, it is the world's oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees.
-
Colombia - Country in South America
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a transcontinental country largely in the north of South America, with territories in North America.