Trump ramps up third-country US deportations despite global rights outcry

Since Donald Trump took office in January 2025, US authorities have sharply increased arrests and deportations as part of his pledge to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history. Thousands of people are arrested each day, including asylum seekers who are supposed to have the opportunity to explain the dangers they face if returned home. Because US law and international treaties prohibit sending people to places where they face persecution or torture, the administration has sought to deport some people to third countries with which they have no cultural or legal ties. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN have condemned the practice, including because some receiving countries have records of human rights abuses.