The Trump administration has approved $410 million in third‑country deportation deals with 31 nations, a move that will see thousands of migrants moved out of the United States to countries unrelated to their origins.
The Office of Remigration, created in January 2025 and staffed by 15 ex‑refugee program workers, is spearheading the effort. Christian Ehrhardt, the office’s director, flew to Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea‑Bissau, Togo and Gabon in June to secure agreements that allow those countries to receive deportees.
The package includes $81 million in direct payments to 13 governments and separate pledges to the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency, totaling roughly $510 million for humanitarian and infrastructure projects in the receiving states.
Critics say the deals sidestep legal safeguards, with some countries agreeing to accept migrants with criminal records or only those who are not African nationals. Eswatini, for instance, will accept 150 deportees for a $5.1 million payment, while the Democratic Republic of Congo has pledged $75 million to accommodate up to 2,000 migrants.
Since the program’s launch, more than 25,000 migrants have already been deported to 28 countries, the majority of them to Mexico under an informal arrangement. A family of Afghan refugees now lives in a makeshift camp in Oaxaca, waiting to be relocated to Eswatini under a new deal.
The Office of Remigration will now coordinate further shipments, with the first new batch scheduled to leave for Costa Rica next month. Officials say the program will expand to include additional partners as agreements are signed.