Congressional Oversight Reveals $40 Million Expenditure on Migrant Deportations

Sat Feb 21 2026 16:05:40 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A recent report from Senate Democrats highlights the Trump administration's $40 million effort to deport migrants to third countries, raising concerns over cost-efficiency and human rights implications.

A study by Senate Democrats outlines how the Trump administration allocated at least $40 million for the deportation of approximately 300 migrants to countries like Rwanda, El Salvador, and Equatorial Guinea. Critics describe this policy as cost-ineffective and potentially harmful to asylum seekers. Allegations of human rights violations and the lack of due process in these deportations have prompted calls for greater scrutiny of the program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has spent at least $40 million deporting nearly 300 migrants to countries other than their homeland, with immigration officials ramping up these efforts to fulfill President Donald Trump’s objective of rapid immigrant removal, as revealed in a report from the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senators, led by Jeanne Shaheen, criticized the third-country deportation practices, branding them 'costly, wasteful, and poorly monitored,' urging immediate scrutiny of a policy operating largely in secrecy.

The State Department has defended these deportations as part of the broader campaign against illegal immigration, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted that gang members had been among those deported.

The report adds that lump-sum payments of $4.7 million to $7.5 million were made to five nations — Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini, and Palau — to facilitate these deportations. Most notably, about 250 Venezuelan nationals have been sent to El Salvador since last March, whereas other countries, including Palau, received few to none.

As the report suggests, internal documents indicate there are 47 third-country agreements at various negotiation phases, with 15 already concluded. Critics argue that this third-country policy violates due process rights and can leave deportees stranded in countries known for human rights abuses.

Evidence from visits to South Sudan unveiled that deportees were being transferred to gated houses with armed guards, raising alarms about their treatment and conditions. Furthermore, the report highlighted instances where deportees were returned to their home countries after their placements in third countries were ineffective, suggesting that migrants could have been sent back directly, saving considerable costs and hassle.

Democratic senators have called for a detailed investigation into the rationale behind these payments and any associated benefits or expectations from the countries receiving deported migrants, with a spotlight on transparency and accountability.