The United States has expanded its use of African countries as destinations for migrants deported from US territory, with at least 14 African nations involved in agreements or negotiations under the Trump administration’s third-country removal policy. Between January 20, 2025, and August 5, 2026, US authorities transferred 536 people to African countries where they were neither citizens nor habitual residents, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The figures, published in an October 8 report by the rights group, highlight the growing role of African governments in Washington’s efforts to accelerate deportations. HRW said the United States transferred nearly 28,000 people to more than 50 countries worldwide under the policy during the same period.
The arrangements vary in legal form and implementation. Some have led to actual transfers, while others have involved negotiations or proposed deals. HRW listed Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Uganda among the African countries involved in reported negotiations or agreements.
The policy allows US authorities to send migrants to countries other than their own, including people who have received legal protection against removal to their home countries because they face a risk of persecution or torture.
Rights groups raise concerns over treatment of deportees
HRW’s 125-page report, titled “To Scare People,” documents the experiences of 24 people transferred from the United States to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini and South Sudan.
Those interviewed described abusive treatment during flights and said they were not given a meaningful opportunity to challenge their removal to a third country. HRW also documented cases of arbitrary detention after arrival and onward transfers to countries where deportees faced a risk of persecution or torture.
A case in Equatorial Guinea has brought renewed attention to the policy. On October 8, Reuters reported that a US federal judge ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the release and return of Ahmed Soliman, an Egyptian national deported to Equatorial Guinea earlier in 2026 and subsequently detained there. Soliman reported mistreatment by local police, and Reuters published video footage showing officers drawing firearms on migrants. His case illustrates the legal and human rights questions surrounding the transfer of people to countries with which they have no established ties.
African governments face different choices
The arrangements have not been uniform across the continent. HRW reported that some governments have accepted deportees, while others have resisted US requests. In July 2025, Nigeria’s foreign minister said the country had rejected a US request to receive 300 Venezuelan nationals.
The financial dimension also extends beyond Africa. Third Country Deportation Watch, a monitoring project tracking the policy, reported more than $49 million in direct US government funding to third-country governments worldwide related to these arrangements. That figure should not be interpreted as payments to African governments alone.
The growing network places African governments at the intersection of US migration enforcement, bilateral diplomacy and international human rights obligations. The treatment of deportees and the transparency of the agreements are likely to remain central questions as the policy continues.
