Trump Administration’s Secret Third-Country Deportation Scheme Costs Taxpayers Over $40 Million
A Senate Foreign Relations Committee report released Friday alleges that President Donald Trump’s administration spent more than $40 million in 2025 sending hundreds of migrants to at least two dozen countries that were not their home nations.
The 35-page analysis states the administration has expanded what are often called “third country” removals from rare, exceptional uses into a regular tool of immigration enforcement and diplomacy. The report estimates over $32 million in direct payments to five countries — El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Eswatini, and Palau — and more than $7 million for deportation flights involving additional destinations including South Sudan, Ghana, Panama, and Uganda.
“The Administration has pursued these arrangements through opaque negotiations, including with corrupt governments, without meaningful oversight or accountability,” the report’s executive summary states.
“It is troubling that tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds have been sent to foreign governments while Congress and the public remain largely unaware of the terms of these deals, how funds are being used, or what the United States offers in return,” the report adds.
Democratic staff noted that lump-sum payments were sometimes provided before any migrants arrived, and the report cited military aircraft costing more than $32,000 per hour for some flights — including those carrying small groups of individuals.
“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 American taxpayers,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“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 and potentially undermining diplomatic relationships,” she added.
“For an Administration that claims to be reigning in fraud, waste and abuse, this policy is the epitome of all three.”
The administration’s approach has faced legal challenges tied to the deportation of Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act — a rarely used 1798 law Trump invoked last spring. Under that policy, approximately 250 Venezuelan migrants were sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador before being transferred back to Venezuela in a prisoner swap.
On Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled that some deportees must be returned to the United States while they challenge their removals, requiring the government to facilitate return and cover travel for eligible hearings as the Justice Department appeals.
“It is worth emphasizing that this situation would never have arisen had the Government simply afforded Plaintiffs their constitutional rights before initially deporting them,” Boasberg wrote.
The committee staff report states its findings reflect a months-long review of agreements and removals through January 2026, as Democrats push for greater transparency regarding costs, oversight, and negotiations with receiving governments.
By Alex Carter | Friday, 13 February 2026
