More than 20 independent United Nations experts issued a joint statement warning that US deportations to third countries are triggering a cascade of human rights violations. The arrangements are triggering a cascade of human rights violations, the UN experts stated, and at least 23,000 third-country nationals have been deported under these agreements. The UN experts stated that the deportation agreements breach the customary law principle of non-refoulement.

The experts warned that the deportions increase risks of torture, ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, slavery, and trafficking. 'For migrants in situations of particular vulnerability, the consequences can be deadly,' the UN human rights experts said.

The US has signed deportation deals with countries including Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, and South Sudan. Nearly one-third of the 35 countries involved in US deportation deals are in Africa.

'"These migrants are being transferred to countries or territories with which they have no ties, which can be a traumatising and isolating experience that compounds harms already suffered which triggered their fleeing to the US in the first place." Others are sent to places where they risk further violence or discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or human rights advocacy,' the UN human rights experts said.

"At gravest risk are children, women, persons with disabilities, victims of trafficking, LGBT persons, human rights defenders, stateless persons and other people in extremely vulnerable situations." The experts noted that many recipient countries lack asylum processing infrastructure, protective holding facilities, adequate health services, or sustainable reintegration options.

An investigation and Forbidden Stories network documented the case of an Iranian woman deported after protesting against her regime and a gay man deported to Ghana after being outed. "A state that knowingly aids or assists another state in conduct that violates non-refoulement or other human rights obligations may itself incur international responsibility." Participating in measures that lead to rights violations may, in some situations, amount to complicity, the UN human rights experts said.

The Trump administration states that its deportations are focused on removing criminals from the US. The UN experts notified the United States and all other governments involved in the deportation agreements of their concerns. "All states and territories involved must immediately halt these arrangements." The experts contacted UN agencies, including the International Organization for Migration, to stress that their engagement must not legitimize arrangements exposing people to refoulement.

Timeline

Since Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the US government has signed agreements with more than 35 countries to accept migrants removed from the United States. An investigation by Forbidden Stories and a consortium of international journalists determined the number of deportees exceeded 25,000 by the end of August 2025.

What's New

Since Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has signed at least 35 third-country deportation agreements, with the majority of these deals involving African nations, including Burundi, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan. The United States has historically engaged in third-country deportation agreements, with the first such arrangements dating back to the 1990s under the Clinton administration, though these were limited in scope compared to the current program.

The Central African Republic has been designated by the World Health Organization as a country with extremely limited medical infrastructure, where only 17% of humanitarian needs have been met as of May 2026, raising concerns about the health risks faced by deported individuals. South Sudan has received seven foreign nationals deported from the United States, with at least six of them still being held in detention without clear legal justification or access to due process, according to reports from local authorities and human rights organizations.

Central African Republic has a long history of political instability, including multiple coups, civil wars, and humanitarian crises, with the country experiencing a civil conflict from 2002 to 2016 that displaced over 600,000 people. Njeri cited cases of two men expelled to Equatorial Guinea who were bound, fitted with bags over their heads, beaten, and pushed down a flight of stairs.

More than 5,000 migrants have been flown to countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and central Asia.

Why It Matters

The joint statement from more than 20 independent UN experts shows the scale of the deportation program, which has moved tens of thousands of people to nations with which they have no prior ties. The experts warn that these actions may incur international responsibility for the United States and amount to complicity in human rights violations.

The lack of asylum infrastructure and protective facilities in recipient countries raises concerns about the safety and well-being of deported individuals. The notification to the US government and other involved states calls for an immediate halt to these arrangements, stressing that engagement by UN agencies must not legitimize practices that expose people to refoulement.