- The Trump administration expanded its deportation network by adding Liberia, which agreed to accept twelve hundred people.
- Arrangements across Africa and Latin America utilize safe third country concepts to remove noncitizens to non-native nations.
- Federal litigation is challenging these removal transfers over concerns regarding chain refoulement and human rights risks.
The Trump administration expanded its third-country deportation network Wednesday after Liberia agreed on August 18, 2026, to accept up to 1,200 people from the United States over the next year. An initial group of 20 is expected on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
The agreement adds to a widening set of arrangements for removing noncitizens to countries where they are not nationals. Uganda agreed to receive people deported from other African countries if they have no criminal history.
Honduras separately agreed to accept deportees from other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, including families with children. Its initial arrangement covers several hundred people over two years.
The deals differ sharply. Some use caps, while others limit eligibility or leave selections to the receiving government.
The administration’s policy uses third-country removals and safe third country or asylum cooperative agreement frameworks tied to U.S. asylum processing. Those mechanisms differ from returning a person directly to their country of nationality.
The legal theory discussed in reporting relies on the safe third country concept. A receiving country must be able to provide protection and fair procedures, while the policy faces federal litigation in multiple jurisdictions.
Some immigration judges have reportedly been encouraged to “pretermit” asylum cases and direct people toward third countries.
The term describes ending an asylum case without a full merits decision. The reported practice has become part of the broader expansion of arrangements across several regions.
Costa Rica’s arrangement has a weekly cap and a reported removal count
Costa Rica has two separate arrangements with the United States. One formal Memorandum of Understanding was signed March 23, 2026, and reportedly permits transfers of 25 third-country nationals per week.
A tracker reported that 331 third-country nationals had been removed there under the 2026 agreement by August 6, 2026.
| Arrangement detail | Reported figure or date |
|---|---|
| Memorandum of Understanding | March 23, 2026 |
| Weekly transfer cap | 25 third-country nationals per week |
| Reported removals under the 2026 agreement | 331 by August 6, 2026 |
The figures come from tracking and reporting on the arrangements. The agreements themselves are often secret or unpublished.
The network now reaches across Africa and the Americas
A separate tracker identifies arrangements involving Belize, Cabo Verde, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay. Other reported receiving countries include Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Eswatini, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and Equatorial Guinea.
The network has expanded beyond one regional model. Country terms can turn on nationality, criminal history, family status, numerical limits or the receiving government’s decision about whom to accept.
The program is used when a home country will not take a person back. It also allows the administration to seek removal to a country other than the person’s nationality country.
Reports describe some arrangements as receiving direct or indirect U.S. financial support. In some cases, that support includes funding for the International Organization for Migration.
Federal cases challenge transfers over protection and detention risks
Advocacy groups and other reporting have raised concerns that transfers could expose people to chain refoulement, detention or removal to places where they may face danger. Chain refoulement refers to the risk that one country sends a person onward to another place where they could face persecution or other serious harm.
The challenges are unfolding in federal cases across multiple jurisdictions. Outcomes may depend on the agreement’s terms, the person’s asylum claims and the law governing the particular case.
The latest agreement sets the near-term test. The first 20 people are expected to arrive Thursday, August 20, 2026, under a plan that could cover up to 1,200 deportees during the following year.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
