Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the U.S. of breaching international law by deporting migrants to African countries with which they have no personal or family connections, arguing that the policy uses “human suffering as a deterrent to migration”.
The rights group said the selection of distant destinations is intended to frighten people considering migration. Citing an unnamed U.S. official, HRW reported that the administration’s approach was described to the U.S. Senate as a deliberate effort to intimidate. “With countries like Palau or Eswatini, the point is that the administration can threaten people that they will literally be dropped in the middle of nowhere,” the official said. “The point is to scare people.”
- Advertisement -
U.S. deportation operations have expanded sharply since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. HRW, citing data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said more than 500 people have been deported from the U.S. to third-party African nations since then.
