US Deports 6 to Guyana in Third-Country Deal—First Batch Under New Plan
Washington’s new deportation scheme is quietly expanding: six people from Cuba and Afghanistan have been sent to Guyana, a country they have no ties to, under a one-year agreement with the Trump administration.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyana has received its first group of deportees from the United States under a third-country transfer arrangement, officials confirmed Saturday. The six individuals—nationals of Cuba and Afghanistan—arrived Friday after being vetted by Guyanese authorities, who said none have criminal backgrounds and were removed from the U.S. primarily for immigration violations [235982].
The deal, negotiated over several months, allows the deportees to stay in Guyana for one year while their immigration status is determined. They may eventually return to their home countries or be relocated elsewhere, according to Guyanese Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud [235982].
The program is being run by the U.N. International Organization for Migration, and the Guyanese government will not cover housing or support costs for the arrivals [235982].
Guyana is the latest member of the 15-nation Caribbean Community to accept deportees under the U.S. plan. Other participating countries include St. Kitts and Nevis, Belize, and St. Lucia, which was expected to receive its first group this week [235982].
The move is part of a broader U.S. effort to send people who cannot be deported to their home countries to willing third nations. Since last year, U.S. authorities have sent more than 23,000 people to 26 countries other than their own under similar arrangements [235531].
Meanwhile, the U.S. has faced legal and humanitarian scrutiny over its deportation practices. In a separate case, six people who refused to leave a U.S. deportation plane headed for Liberia were diverted to Equatorial Guinea—a country they were never meant to enter—where lawyers say they are now held in “horrific conditions” [235531].
In Europe, five European Union nations are pursuing a similar model, announcing plans to send rejected asylum seekers to “return hubs” in non-EU countries, with a target start date of January 1, 2027 [235938]. Danish Immigration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek said the countries are negotiating with an unnamed host nation, but no final agreement has been signed [235938].
Guyana Receives First Deportees from US Under Third-Country Plan Six Refuse ICE Deportation Flight—Now Stranded in Equatorial Guinea