Trump Administration Spends $40 Million to Deport 300 Migrants, Report Reveals

The immigration policies of former President Donald Trump have remained a topic of intense debate. Last year, his administration launched large-scale operations to apprehend and deport undocumented migrants.

Washington: A recent report by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has revealed that the Trump administration spent nearly $40 million to deport 300 migrants to third countries. According to the report, immigration officials conducted accelerated deportation campaigns last year to meet Trump’s targets for quickly removing immigrants from the United States—substantially driving up costs.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, leading the panel of Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the practice of deporting migrants to third countries, calling it expensive, ineffective, and poorly monitored. The report demands a thorough review of the policy, which, according to the findings, has been implemented in a hasty and opaque manner.

Questions Raised Over Third-Country Deportations
The report found that payments to five countries—Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini, and Palau—ranged from $4.7 million to $7.5 million per country to accept deported migrants. In March last year, El Salvador received 250 Venezuelan citizens, while other countries received far fewer deportees.

The countries examined in the report represent only a small portion of the Trump administration’s third-country deportation efforts. Internal administration documents obtained by AP indicate that agreements with 47 third countries were at various stages of negotiation, with 15 finalized and 10 nearing completion.

Policy Criticized as Reckless
Immigration advocacy groups have sharply criticized the third-country deportation policy, labeling it a reckless approach. Democrats highlighted several instances where migrants were sent to third countries, which required the U.S. to pay for their flights back to their home countries.

Senator Shaheen specifically questioned the $7.5 million payment to Equatorial Guinea, noting it came at a time when the administration was cultivating relations with Vice President Teodoro “Tedy” Nguema Obiang, widely criticized for corruption. His extravagant lifestyle has drawn scrutiny from prosecutors in multiple countries.