US Deports 25,000 People to 35 Countries They've Never Been To

The United States has deported more than 25,000 people to third countries under secretive agreements with 35 nations, according to a new investigation [2]. These are countries that are neither the person's home country nor the country they came from [5].

The policy challenges a core principle of international law that has stood for 75 years [1]. Under these arrangements, nations have agreed to accept migrants who have no connection to them [2].

An Iranian woman was among those deported. She was flown from the United States in shackles and left in a country in Africa she did not know existed [4]. She was one of 18 shackled detainees on a US immigration plane. No one told them where they were going. Officers taunted them when they asked, and the migrants only learned their destination when a map appeared on the seat-back video screens [4]. An in-depth investigation revealed these "show of force" deportations are costing American taxpayers millions [4].

A federal appeals court has blocked the policy. A three-judge panel ruled unanimously against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy, finding the practice unlawful [3]. The court said detainees must have "a meaningful opportunity to contest" such removals [5]. The decision means immigrants facing this kind of deportation can now challenge it in court [3].

The ruling is a setback for the government's effort to speed up removals. The administration had already sent more than 25,000 people to third countries before the court put the policy on hold [5].