Migrants could be deported to a country other than their country of origin, according to Trump’s new plan

Donald Trump is set to return to the White House in January. With the big day drawing near, his transition team is formulating a strategy for one of his primary campaign pledges: the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. During Trump’s first term (2017-2021), approximately 935,000 undocumented immigrants were deported.

Making good on his campaign promises

As the President-elect prepares for his return to Washington, he is looking to make good on his campaign promise to depart between 15 and 20 million immigrants. Among the strategies planned to meet this target is deporting migrants to various countries if their nations of origin refuse to accept them back. According to sources familiar with the matter, NBC News reports that potential destination countries include the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama, and Grenada, among others. These third countries will allow the administration to deport someone within a week of their arrest.

Under this new policy, millions of migrants may face permanent relocation to countries with unfamiliar languages, cultures, and peoples. While this measure has already ignited debate, it is not the first instance of Trump deporting immigrants to nations different from their home countries. In 2019, during his first term, he sent thousands of migrants from various nations to Guatemala under an asylum application agreement. At that time, several migrant rights organizations took legal action against him, and the lawsuit is still ongoing in federal court. Whether this policy is legal under US law remains an open question, but immigration rights activities are already warning that the policy could violate the rights of migrants looking to claim asylum in the United States.

It is unknown what kind of agreements or pressure Trump will exert to get a third country to accept immigrants. However, experts suggest that the Republicans could use a resource to practically force them: visas.

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