The Trump administration is seeking to expand deportations to third countries and has so far signed more than 30 agreements with foreign governments.
Published September 5, 2026
Guyana has announced it has accepted six people deported from the United States as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up deportations to so-called third countries.
Guyana’s Foreign Minister Robert Persaud announced that a group of Cubans and Afghans arrived in the South American country on Saturday after being deported over an immigration dispute.
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Persaud told The Associated Press that “the United States has not made any further requests” regarding the deportation of non-citizens to Guyana at this time.
None of the suspects had a criminal history, Persaud said. The expulsions are part of an ongoing campaign under President Trump, who has vowed to create “the largest criminal deportation program in American history” as he seeks re-election in 2024.
Mr. Persaud said that after months of negotiations, Guyana had reached an agreement with the United States to take in the deportees.
Human rights nonprofit Amnesty International estimates that more than 30 countries have signed such agreements since Trump returned to office, including 15 countries in the Americas.
Mr Persaud said the agreement with Guyana will last for one year and does not constitute permanent resettlement.
Third-country deportation involves sending a foreign national to a location other than his or her country of origin. Deportees often do not know the country to which they are being sent, and in some cases may not speak the language.
The Trump administration is seeking to expand the use of deportations to third countries.
We have agreements with various countries around the world, including countries as far away as Africa. Some deals involve payments in the millions of dollars.
Trump administration officials have justified the effort by arguing that some countries, such as Cuba, refuse to accept deportees from the United States.
But rights groups denounce the practice as an attempt to punish immigrants and pressure them to abandon their immigration claims in the United States.
Many of the deportees have no criminal records, reflecting the expansion of Trump’s deportation efforts during his second term.
The Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a research institute at Syracuse University, estimates that 70.6% of aliens currently held in U.S. immigration detention facilities have no convictions.
Forced returns to third countries also raise concerns about the conditions in the countries to which non-nationals are sent. Some countries suffer from poverty, instability, conflict and even human rights violations.
The deportees sent to Guyana on Saturday will receive resources through the Voluntary Return Assistance Program run by the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Under the arrangement, those deported will await the outcome of their immigration proceedings in Guyana.
They can return to their country of origin or seek migration elsewhere.
Efforts to limit immigration, deport foreigners and crack down on civil immigration violations have been hallmarks of President Trump’s second term.
As part of that campaign, the Trump administration stripped the legal status of tens of thousands of immigrants in the country through the revocation of programs such as Temporary Protected Status and Humanitarian Parole.
There are also reports that the regime plans to revoke visas from around 200,000 asylum seekers.
Revocation of legal residence status puts foreign nationals at risk of deportation, in some cases despite ongoing conflict or instability in the country of destination.
