Trump administration seeks Balkan support to relocate migrants deported from US Serbia among countries approached

The administration of President Donald Trump is pressing Serbia and other Balkan countries to accept migrants deported from the United States, according to sources familiar with the ongoing discussions. The effort is part of a wider initiative to identify foreign governments willing to receive deportees, including individuals who entered the US under protections established during the Biden administration.

Sources, who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the talks, said regional bureaus within the US Department of State were tasked with advancing the proposal. It remains unclear whether any concrete agreements have been reached. Neither the White House nor the State Department offered immediate comment. Serbia’s Foreign Ministry also did not respond to inquiries on Wednesday.

The renewed push follows a May Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status from up to 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. One source indicated that the administration is now actively searching for countries willing to receive deportees from these nations.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported in April that the US had explored options to send deported individuals to other locations in the Balkans, including Moldova and Kosovo, as well as other parts of the world. Serbia, however, had not been named until now.

Serbia’s emerging role in these discussions is notable, especially given its unique ties to the Trump family. Belgrade, the Serbian capital, is the planned site of Trump Tower Belgrade — a project backed by an investment firm co-founded by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. The Trump Organisation has licensed its brand for the tower, and Trump’s eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., currently manage the company and oversee its assets through a trust. Donald Trump Jr., who has visited Serbia multiple times, is particularly involved in international business pursuits in the region.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, known for balancing relations between the West and countries like Russia and China, is a vocal supporter of Trump. He built ties with figures in the MAGA movement even during Trump’s years out of office and was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump after his 2024 election victory — on a phone call reportedly joined by Elon Musk. Vučić has also maintained a close relationship with Trump’s former envoy Richard Grenell, who received Serbia’s highest civilian honour.

Trump Jr. most recently visited Belgrade in late April, dining with Vučić during a broader tour of Eastern European capitals aimed at identifying investment opportunities as executive vice president of the Trump Organisation. In May, Vučić travelled to the US hoping for a meeting with Trump in Florida, but the encounter was cancelled after the Serbian president fell ill. Shortly afterwards, Vučić raised eyebrows in Brussels by attending the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, despite warnings from EU officials.

While controversial, the idea of Balkan countries accepting deported migrants is not without precedent. Italy recently struck a deal with Albania to establish migrant centres on Albanian territory for people intercepted at sea while trying to reach Europe from Africa. Italy agreed to cover the costs of the facilities, though the plan has faced logistical difficulties and legal challenges in Italian courts.

The discussions with Balkan states come as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on immigration — a campaign facing legal pushback. Over 200 migrants, mainly from Venezuela, were recently deported to prison facilities in El Salvador. In doing so, the administration invoked a rarely used wartime-era law allowing the president to bypass standard immigration rules and expel “alien enemies” in cases of foreign “invasion or predatory incursion.”

By Tamilla Hasanova