U.S. Spends Millions on Controversial Third-Country Deportations, Reports Find
The U.S. government has reportedly spent over $40 million on approximately 300 deportations to third countries under the Trump administration, a practice derided by Democrats as costly, wasteful, and poorly monitored.
This comes as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveals that there are about 1.6 million illegal immigrants with final deportation orders in the U.S., half of whom have criminal convictions.
Background and Context
The Democrats on the Foreign Relations panel, led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, criticized the third-country deportation practice in a report, calling for serious scrutiny of a policy that now operates largely in the dark.
The Trump administration has been deporting immigrants to countries they have no connection to, leading to troubling logistics, such as the deportation of 250 Venezuelans to El Salvador.
Key Developments
A few of the notable cases include the deportation of Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, a 19-year-old student who was deported after attempting to visit her family for Thanksgiving, despite a court order. Another involves the deportation of Luis Muñoz Pinto, 27, who was sent to a notoriously brutal prison in El Salvador and now hopes to clear his name after a U.S. judge’s ruling.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the Trump administration should facilitate the return of deportees who are currently in countries outside their home country. He stipulated that the U.S. government should cover the travel costs of those who wish to return to the U.S. to argue their immigration cases.
Reactions and Implications
The report released by the Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee found that the cost of deportation per person averaged out to approximately $116,666. This ignited criticism about wasteful spending, considering that the U.S. government made lump sum transfers to foreign governments without a system in place to track how the money was used.
Despite the criticism, ICE Director Todd Lyons defended the agency's actions, stating that, of the 1.6 million illegal immigrants with final deportation orders, approximately 800,000 have criminal convictions.
Current Status
As it stands, the deportation practice continues, with some deportees set to be returned to the U.S. at the taxpayers' expense. This includes alleged members of the foreign terrorist cartel
Tren de Aragua, who may be brought back to the U.S. after their deportations in 2025.
The controversy surrounding these deportations and their subsequent returns continue to stir debate about immigration policies and practices in the U.S., raising questions about their costs, legality, and humanitarian implications.