- Donald Trump is in talks with four countries to accept deported migrants
- Countries such as Venezuela, Cuba and China are reluctant to accept migrants back
Donald Trump maps out where migrants and illegal immigrants should be deported if their home countries refuse to accept them.
The list of countries the new administration is considering includes popular holiday destinations such as Turks and Caicos, Panama, Grenada and the Bahamas, three sources familiar with the plans said. told NBC News.
One says Trump’s transition team has already approached all four countries to work out a deal to accept deportation flights from the US
It is not clear where these countries stand on this issue and whether they would be open to negotiating a deal.
Trump promised during the 2024 campaign that he would carry out the largest deportation effort in American history during his second term.
He campaigned on solving the southern border crisis, which has led to a range of problems in the US, including fentanyl and human trafficking, and a record number of illegal immigrants living in the US and taking up resources.
In 2022, there were an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US
Critics of President Joe Biden’s immigration and southern border policies claim this number is dramatically higher than previously thought, with some claiming it could be as high as 20 million.
President-elect Donald Trump’s team draws up a list of third countries that will accept deported migrants whose home countries won’t take them back
Trump promised in his 2024 campaign that he would carry out the largest deportation in US history, which could push millions out of the country once he takes power in the new year.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revealed this week that US taxpayers will have spent $150.7 billion on illegal immigrants in 2023 alone.
At least several thousand migrants could be permanently displaced in third countries once Trump deports them if their home countries do not accept them back.
Sources say the new administration hopes to deport migrants within a week of their arrest, and Trump believes this policy would help speed up these deportations.
“President Trump has received a mandate from the American people to stop the invasion of illegal immigrants, secure the border, and deport dangerous criminals and terrorists who are making our communities less safe. He will make it happen,” Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition and incoming White House press secretary, told NBC.
Washington has long faced problems with countries refusing to take back those who entered the U.S. illegally — especially those who sought asylum and claimed conditions in their home countries oppressed them.
Venezuela, Cuba and China are among the countries that are more reluctant to take back those who have immigrated to the United States.
Because the federal court bars U.S. authorities from holding these migrants indefinitely, most are eventually released to the U.S. — even if a judge orders their deportation.
To get around this, Trump plans to work with these third countries – many island nations in the Caribbean – to accept these illegal immigrants.
A source claims that Trump’s transition team has already contacted popular beach holiday destinations Turks and Caicos (pictured), Panama, Grenada and the Bahamas to work out a deal in which they can accept deportation flights from the US.
The president-elect also wants to work with Mexico to get them to accept deporting non-Mexicans from the US
Mexico already accepts migrants turned back at the border. But Trump wants the US’s southern neighbor to do more and now also accept deportation flights of illegal immigrants, even if they are not Mexican.
Sources claim that striking this deal with Mexico will not be easy and that part of Trump’s tariff threat is to put pressure on the country to comply.