Why Trump’s Administration Struggles to Deport Migrants to Unknown Countries
Stephen Miller led an interagency call in April to press why foreign governments would not accept more deported migrants. The exchange came amid a broader push to expand expulsions to third countries.
Deportation numbers and targets
The Department of Homeland Security said it expelled more than 675,000 undocumented immigrants in the first year of the president’s second term. That figure fell short of the administration’s stated goal of one million removals per year.
DHS officials said many others left voluntarily. Administration spokespeople said implementing migration policies remained a top priority.
Agreements with third countries
The administration pursued accords with roughly two dozen nations across Africa, Central Asia, and Latin America. These pacts varied in detail and in whether they required payment or political concessions.
The Migration Policy Institute estimated about 15,000 people were sent to third countries from January through December 2025. Of those, roughly 13,000 were transported to Mexico.
Mexico and other destinations
Mexico accepted the largest share of non-Mexican nationals under an arrangement that began under the previous administration. Refugees International and Human Rights First counted about 13,000 non-Mexican nationals sent to Mexico in the first year.
Other countries received far smaller numbers. El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, and Uzbekistan accepted at most a few hundred each. Eswatini, Guatemala, and Equatorial Guinea took a handful to several dozen people. Rwanda, South Sudan, and Kosovo appear to have taken fewer than ten each.
Types of arrangements
Two main mechanisms emerged. One sent people with final removal orders to third countries. The other, asylum cooperation agreements, required some asylum seekers to seek protection elsewhere.
Some nations signed memorandums of understanding but did not publicly confirm any arrivals. The State Department declined to comment on diplomatic communications.
High-profile cases and legal fights
In March 2025, the government invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador. Many were detained at the CECOT maximum-security prison.
Another episode involved migrants confined at a U.S. facility in Djibouti while the government tried to send them to South Sudan. The use of converted shipping containers led to litigation that reached the Supreme Court. The court allowed deportations to resume with limited notice.
The case of Kilmar Ábrego García illustrates repeated attempts to remove an individual to Africa after he returned from El Salvador. Judges in El Salvador had earlier ruled he should not be deported.
Costs and effectiveness
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats published a report in February outlining program costs. The report said the administration spent tens of millions relocating relatively small numbers, sometimes more than one million dollars per person.
The committee concluded the initiative produced little measurable impact on overall deportation goals.
Why the effort falters
Diplomatic resistance, legal challenges, and high transport costs limited the program’s reach. Logistics and sparse capacity in receiving countries also created bottlenecks.
Analysts note that Trump’s administration struggles to deport migrants when foreign partners resist. The strategy often depends on unknown countries far from migrants’ homes.
Despite agreements, third-country removals remain a small portion of total expulsions. Filmogaz.com will continue tracking developments and official data.
