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mass deportations
Trump Has Spent $40 Million in Secretive Deals Deporting Hundreds of People to Third Countries
“Through its third country deportation deals, the Trump administration is putting millions of taxpayer dollars into the hands of foreign governments, while turning a blind eye to the human costs," reads a new Senate report.
Feb 13, 2026
Using secretive agreements, often with countries that have histories of human rights abuses, the Trump administration has "expanded and institutionalized" a system in which the government deports migrants to nations where they have never lived, according to a report released Friday by Democrats on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The report, titled At What Cost? Inside the Trump Administration’s Secret Deportation Deals, was commissioned by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and is the first comprehensive review of the administration's coercive and secretive agreements with countries including El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini.
Third-country deportations were "previously a rare tool used only in exceptional circumstances," said the authors, but "the Trump administration has broadened this practice into a sprawling system of global removals," sending direct financial payments of $32 million in taxpayer money to foreign governments.
Five countries, which also include Palau and Rwanda, entered into those deals and have taken 300 people. In all, the administration has spent more than $40 million on the deportations, according to the report.
“This report outlines the troubling practice by the Trump administration of deporting individuals to third countries—places where these people have no connection—at great expense to the American taxpayer and raises serious questions,” said Shaheen, the ranking member of the committee. “Through its third country deportation deals, the Trump administration is putting millions of taxpayer dollars into the hands of foreign governments... For an administration that claims to be reigning in fraud, waste, and abuse, this policy is the epitome of all three.”
The senators conducted a 10-month review of the administration's agreements and third country deportations through January 2026, with staff traveling to the countries and meeting with people who have been deported, attorneys, US and foreign officials, and human rights organizations.
The agreements, said the senators, amount to an "expensive and dangerous form of shadow diplomacy that prioritizes the appearance of toughness over the security of Americans" and includes little oversight over whether public funds are being used to finance human trafficking or rights abuses.
While the agreements include "blanket language" on upholding international human rights laws, the report states, the senators' extensive review uncovered no evidence that the administration is conducting systemic monitoring or follow-up enforcement, "raising serious concerns that the assurances made by foreign governments exist only on paper and that the United States is turning a blind eye to what happens to migrants in third countries."
Cart Weiland, a deputy assistant secretary at the US State Department, was questioned by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about his work helping to establish the third country agreements and "could not articulate whether any oversight on their treatment had been conducted. Instead, he reiterated that 'the agreement has a provision that explicitly mandates adherence to international human rights treaties and conventions.'"
Committee staff members also heard from US officials in one country that they had been instructed "not to follow up on the treatment of deportees."
A Trump administration attorney even acknowledged in a federal court case regarding deportations to Ghana, another country that has entered into agreements with the administration, that it appeared "Ghana was violating assurances it had provided the United States, including that it would comply with the Convention Against Torture, after sending a migrant onward to a country where they would likely be tortured."
The senators also found that the administration is likely using third countries to circumvent US immigration law—carrying out removals "that US law would otherwise prohibit, such as sending protected individuals onward to countries where they may face persecution or death."
The majority of migrants flown to third countries have had court-ordered protections prohibiting the US from sending them back to their home countries, where they could face persecution or torture.
"One migrant with protective orders stated: 'While at the fuel stop in the US Virgin Islands, the apparent head [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] official on the plane... told me that those on the plane were being sent to Ghana and that Ghana would send us to our home countries," according to the report.
The document said that "the Trump administration’s defense is that the United States 'does not have the power to tell Ghana what to do,'" a claim it also made after garnering condemnation for its use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport about 250 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, where they were imprisoned in the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
The report also details how the administration has threatened some countries with increased tariffs, travel bans, or cuts to US foreign aid if they don't enter into the deals.
"The Trump administration is expending political capital in its bilateral relationships that could instead be used to advance more pressing USb national security interests, while not being transparent about the full extent of its deal-making, including what is being offered to foreign governments," reads the report.
The senators emphasized that they released their report "as the administration is aggressively seeking to strip hundreds of thousands of migrants of legal status in the United States through the ending of temporary protected status and humanitarian parole, among other avenues, increasing the risk of expanded third country deportations."
The Democrats on the committee said they would continue to conduct oversight of the agreements and demand transparency.
"The Trump administration should cease its use of these third country deportation deals," they said, "which are putting millions of taxpayer dollars into the hands of foreign governments without oversight while turning a blind eye to the potential human cost."
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'Not an Anomaly... A Blueprint': Homan Says Minnesota ICE Surge Ending—But Mass Deportations Aren't
"Just as Minnesotans fought back, Congress must now follow suit and refuse to fund DHS agencies that enable such reckless and dangerous acts that, in some cases, have killed people in broad daylight," said one watchdog leader.
Feb 12, 2026
While people across Minnesota and beyond welcomed "border czar" Tom Homan's Thursday announcement that "Operation Metro Surge is ending," he also made clear that the administration's deadly immigration operations still threaten other US communities, declaring that President Donald Trump "made a promise of mass deportation, and that's what this country's gonna get."
Homan said last week that 700 agents were leaving the state, but around 2,000 would remain. However, as outrage from the public and local officials persisted, he announced Thursday that "I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude. A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week."
The administration's "tactical withdrawal" came just a day after a car crash involving federal agents led Democratic Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her to renew her call for an immediate end to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation, which has involved officers with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) terrorizing Twin Cities residents for over two months—and even fatally shooting Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
"Today's announcement reflects what happens when communities organize, speak out, and refuse to accept fear as public policy," said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Minnesota chapter. "This is a hard-fought community victory. But it comes after real trauma, real harm, and the loss of life. That cannot be ignored."
"This moment belongs to the community," Hussein added. "Faith leaders, organizers, tenants, youth, and everyday residents stood together and demanded dignity. That collective action forced change. And we will remain vigilant."
After ICE officer Jonathan Ross killed Good, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told the agency to "get the fuck out" of his city. After Homan confirmed the operation is ending, the Democrat acknowledged the strong local pushback to the invasion, saying on social media that "they thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation."
"These patriots of Minneapolis are showing that it's not just about resistance—standing with our neighbors is deeply American," Frey said. "This operation has been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it's time for a great comeback. We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents and endurance in this reopening, and I'm hopeful the whole country will stand with us as we move forward."
Outgoing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz similarly said that "the long road to recovery starts now. The impact on our economy, our schools, and people's lives won't be reversed overnight. That work starts today."
Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Congresswoman Angie Craig (D-Minn.), and US Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) were also among the Minnesotans welcoming the development. The senator, who is running to replace Walz, said that "Minnesotans stood together, stared down ICE, and never blinked."
Not everyone critical of the operation has been satisfied by local Democrats' response. Progressive organizer and lawyer Aaron Regunberg said Thursday that it is "important to remember that this victory belongs 100%—literally one hundred percent—to the people of Minneapolis. Elected Dems did essentially nothing to bring this about. Our political leadership is dogshit. Everyday Americans, on the other hand, can really do amazing things."
Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party, said that "Minneapolis residents' heroic resistance has resulted in this retreat. We hope the people of Minneapolis can start to heal from the monthslong siege of their city, the murder of their neighbors, and the tragedy of families ripped apart by the Trump administration."
Mitchell pointed out that the end of the Minnesota operation comes on the eve of a likely DHS shutdown due to a funding fight in Congress, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans. Because of their slim margins and Senate rules, most bills need some Democratic support to get through the upper chamber to Trump's desk.
"Donald Trump is trying to distract us and turn our attention away from the growing resistance in Congress to funding his campaign of cruelty and retribution," Mitchell said, taking aim at not only the president but also his deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, "and their cronies" who "refuse to make this agency and its criminal activities accountable to anyone."
"Democrats are using their power by voting NO as a bloc and pledging not one dollar more in DHS funding until demands for accountability are met," he highlighted. Various Democratic leaders have made demands for reforming the department, and specifically its immigration operations, and growing shares of the party's caucus and the public have even called for abolishing ICE.
Progressive Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose district includes Minneapolis, said on social media that "ending this operation is not enough. We need justice and accountability. That starts with independent investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, economic restitution for businesses impacted, abolishing ICE, and the impeachment of Kristi Noem."
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the watchdog group Public Citizen, said in a statement that "the people of Minnesota set the example of bravery, compassion, and strength against masked, lawless federal agents who vastly underestimated the power of community and peaceful protest."
While calling Homan's announcement "a crucial win," Gilbert also noted that congressional Republicans and the president gave ICE an extra $75 billion in their so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. She stressed that Trump's federal government "is still stripping families from their homes and throwing them into unlivable conditions in detention centers across the country in a militarized mass detention campaign. And there is no sign from the Trump administration that it plans on doing anything—including arresting and persecuting small children—differently."
Recent reporting—including by Wired, which obtained related federal records—has revealed ICE's ongoing expansion efforts across the country. As Wired executive editor Brian Barrett wrote Wednesday:
Its occupation of Minneapolis is not an anomaly; it's a blueprint. Communities deserve to know that they might be next. People have a right to know who their neighbors are, especially when they amount to an invading force.
What we've reported so far fills in only part of the puzzle. It shows what ICE had planned as of January, not beyond. More than 100 addresses remain unknown, some of them in high-concentration states like New York and New Jersey. The specific nature of the work being done in some of these offices remains unclear, as is how long ICE plans to be there.
The need to resolve these questions is urgent as ICE continues to metastasize. At the same time, the Department of Justice has become increasingly aggressive in its dealings with journalists, and has repeatedly claimed that revealing any identifying information about ICE agents or their activities is "doxing." In Minnesota and beyond, ICE and CBP agents have treated observers as enemies, arresting and reportedly harassing them with increased frequency. The DOJ has been quick to label any perceived interference with ICE activity as a crime.
While Barrett pledged that Wired "will continue to report on this story until we have the answers," Gilbert argued to the public that "the victory in Minnesota should galvanize our efforts to fight these atrocities."
"Just as Minnesotans fought back, Congress must now follow suit and refuse to fund DHS agencies that enable such reckless and dangerous acts that, in some cases, have killed people in broad daylight," Gilbert added. "We need drastic reforms now."
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Use of Ireland Airport for Trump Deportation Flights Denounced as 'Absolutely Reprehensible'
"The US Trump administration's cruel and inhumane mass deportation campaign must be denied any form of facilitation... to the degree that is legally possible," said the head of Amnesty International Ireland.
Feb 09, 2026
Amnesty International Ireland on Monday joined Irish politicians and other critics in condemning the use of Shannon Airport as a refueling stopover for some of US President Donald Trump's deportation flights.
Outrage over the use of the Irish airport has mounted since an investigation published Thursday by the Guardian and +972 Magazine detailed how a private jet owned by Trump donor and business partner Gil Dezer was recently chartered by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through the company Journey Aviation to deport Palestinians to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"It is absolutely reprehensible that any ICE deportation flights would be allowed stop and refuel in Shannon," said Duncan Smith, a Labour Party foreign affairs spokesperson.
Smith called on the prime minister, or taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, both members of the party Fianna Fáil, to "intervene and ensure this ends."
"Ireland cannot in any way be complicit in these ICE flights," he added, according to the Irish Times.
The newspaper published a collection of other reactions from representatives for the country's political parties:
Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman said, "It is deeply disturbing to learn that Shannon is being used to facilitate the cruel actions of Donald Trump's ICE." He called for the government to clarify the matter.
Social Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Senator Patricia Stephenson also said it was deeply disturbing: "The coalition must make a statement on whether it knowingly facilitated these flights," which she claimed were a violation of the human rights of the deportees.
Sinn Féin foreign affairs spokesman Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said the matter "requires immediate clarification" as he questioned if the flights were compliant with international law.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said, "The fact that these were flights deporting Palestinians just adds insult to injury."
Weighing in with a Monday statement, Stephen Bowen, executive director, Amnesty International Ireland, similarly said that "we are deeply troubled at these reports of ICE deportation flights refueling at Shannon, including to states of which deportees are not even citizens."
"The US Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane mass deportation campaign must be denied any form of facilitation by Ireland to the degree that is legally possible," he argued. "Our government must do everything it can to refuse to allow such stopovers without first assessing if any individuals on board face a real risk of serious harm if transferred."
Ireland's Department of Transport has noted that "stops at Irish airports by private aircraft and commercial charters which are technical stops for non-traffic purposes (ie, not picking up or setting down passengers), do not require prior authorization from the Department of Transport."
Bowen said that "whilst we understand the intricacies of aviation law, it is wholly unbecoming for states to hide behind these when such cruelty and rage is being deployed to weaponize immigration control. Ireland still has legal obligations under the international human rights treaties it has ratified. There can be no doubt that serious human rights violations are taking place during ICE deportations, with many detainees denied legal due process before being deported."
"We are currently looking into this very worrying matter and will be writing to government soon," he added. "However, the government should already be looking at all possible ways to stop Ireland being a link in a chain of suffering, fear, and systemic abuse."
Separately on Monday, Seamus Culleton, an Irishman who is married to a US citizen and has been in an ICE detention facility in Texas since September despite having no criminal record, called on the taoiseach to raise his case with Trump during a White House visit planned for St. Patrick's Day.
Culleton told the Irish Times that his message to politicians in his homeland is: "Just try to get me out of here and do all you can please. It's an absolute torture, psychological and physical torture. I just want to get back to my wife. We're so desperate to start a family."
"I'd be so grateful if we could just end this," he added. I've been detained now for five months. It's just a torture, I don't know how much more I can take."
A spokesperson for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs—led by Minister Helen McEntee of the Fine Gael party—confirmed that it was providing "consular assistance" through the consulate in Austin and "our embassy in Washington, DC is also engaging directly with the Department of Homeland Security at a senior level in relation to this case."
Responding to Culleton's description of his experience, Smith of the Labour Party noted that "just last week I raised the concerning fact that data showed an increase in Irish citizens interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention and deportation procedures."
"Mr. Culleton's testimony is absolutely harrowing, and marries with what immigration lawyers on the ground tell us about the very real and disturbing conditions that Irish citizens are facing inside ICE detention facilities," Smith said, urging McEntee to "seek any and all information" about everyone from Ireland now in US custody.
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