US third-country deportation policy faces international scrutiny after investigation

Details from a joint media investigation led by Forbidden Stories show that the U.S. government transferred at least 25,447 migrants to 28 third countries under undisclosed bilateral agreements through late August. Internal State Department documents reveal that approximately 20,000 individuals were transported by bus to Mexico, while over 5,000 were flown to foreign nations with which they had no prior connections, including individuals previously granted protection by U.S. immigration courts.

In response to the findings, more than a dozen United Nations human rights experts urged Washington to immediately suspend third-country transfers, warning that deportees face heightened risks of abuse, torture, and persecution. Concurrently, advocacy groups raised alarms that U.S. authorities are preparing to deport hundreds of detained Afghans to Pakistan for eventual return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, potentially impacting relatives of former U.S. military allies.

Sources: Avaz, Danas, Index, Klix, Vijesti.