Media: Trump administration expands third-country deportation deals

The Trump administration has expanded efforts to persuade foreign governments to accept migrants deported from the United States who are not citizens of those countries, according to internal U.S. government documents obtained by CBS News.

Uganda has recently agreed to accept deportees from other African countries, provided they have no criminal history. The documents do not specify how many migrants Uganda could receive.

Honduras has also agreed to accept deportees from other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, including families with children. The initial agreement covers several hundred people over two years, with the possibility of accepting more.

The arrangements rely on a U.S. immigration provision allowing asylum-seekers to be sent to third countries deemed capable of considering their claims for humanitarian protection.

The agreements are part of a broader diplomatic campaign by the Trump administration to secure deportation arrangements with countries across several continents. U.S. officials have also approached governments including Ecuador and Spain about accepting third-country deportees.

At least a dozen countries have already agreed to receive, or have accepted, migrants deported from the U.S. who are not their nationals.

Human rights groups have criticised the policy, warning that migrants could be sent to countries where they face abuse or could ultimately be returned to places from which they fled.

By Sabina Mammadli