The Migration Policy Institute provides this short overview of third country deportations and calculates that about 14,000 deportations to third countries (12,000 of those to Mexico) have occurred during 2025.
It describes the four different kinds of agreements that the U.S. has signed with each of the 27 different countries who have agreed to take third country deportees:
- Safe Third Country – asylum-seekers will not be incarcerated or removed to dangerous other countries and will have the opportunity to apply for asylum and relocate.
- Deportation Bridge Agreement – asylum-seekers will be held (sometimes in detention) until they can be removed to their country of origin or another country
- Incarceration Agreement – asylum-seekers will be held without access to protection (ex. Venezuelans sent to CECOT and incarcerated)
- Hybrid Agreement – some combination of the above
Immigration Insight 