Trump’s deportation strategy increasingly includes flying illegal immigrants to ‘third countries’

Published September 18, 2026 6:00am ET



The Trump administration has moved to accelerate deportations by securing deals with countries worldwide to receive individuals deported from the United States who are not originally from their destinations.

Through a process known as third-country deportations or third-country removals, the departments of Homeland Security and State have been able to increase how many illegal immigrants Immigration and Customs Enforcement can fly out, including those from places with governments that will not take back their own nationals.

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