Asylum and Refugee Rights Advocates Condemn US Government's Practice of Deporting Migrants to Third Countries

Strategic Insights -

The Asylum and Refugee Rights Advocacy Foundation has raised concerns that the United States government's increasing practice of deporting migrants to countries other than their own poses a threat to international human rights standards and the sovereignty of independent nations. The Foundation argues that this trend undermines the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending individuals to places where they risk persecution, ill-treatment, or grave harm. Deportees have faced abusive treatment, inadequate screening, and poor integration in receiving countries, straining national resources and raising questions about complicity in policies that treat vulnerable individuals as burdens rather than rights-holders.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US government's practice of deporting migrants to third countries, including Ghana and other African nations, raises concerns about the treatment of deportees and the sovereignty of receiving countries.
  • International law and human rights norms emphasize the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending individuals to places where they risk persecution, ill-treatment, or grave harm.
  • The practice of third-country deportations places a strain on receiving countries, whose resources and sovereignty are compromised when accepting deportees without clear legal basis.
  • Migrants themselves face devastating consequences, including limited access to legal recourse, exploitation, trafficking, and irregular survival strategies in receiving countries.
  • The US government's reputation as a champion of democracy and human rights is at stake with this policy that prioritizes expediency over humanity.
  • ARRA demands that the US government suspend third-country deportations until robust safeguards, transparency, and accountability mechanisms are established in compliance with international human rights and refugee law.

Statistics:

  • 14 non-Ghanaians were deported to Ghana in a single flight.
  • Similar deportations have been documented to at least 8 countries: South Sudan, Eswatini, Uganda, Rwanda, Djibouti, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.
  • Deportees face abusive treatment, inadequate screening, and poor integration in receiving countries.
  • Limited assistance from international organizations leaves deportees vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, and irregular survival strategies.
  • 1951 Refugee Convention prohibits sending individuals to places where they risk persecution, ill-treatment, or grave harm.

Sources:

  • Asylum and Refugee Rights Advocacy Foundation (ARRA) press statement, September 21, 2025