Rights Group Condemns US Deportation Of Migrants To African Countries

Human Rights Watch has accused the United States of violating international law through its policy of transferring migrants to African countries that are not their countries of origin. The organisation says more than 500 people have been sent to African states under the policy, with some reporting lengthy flights in restraints and little information about their destinations. It also raised concerns that some deportees have been detained or sent towards countries where they could face persecution or other serious harm.

Human Rights Watch has accused the United States of violating international human rights law by deporting migrants to African countries that are not their countries of origin.
In a report released on Thursday, the organisation said the policy places migrants in countries where they may have no family, social or legal connections and can expose some to further detention, abuse or the risk of persecution.
Human Rights Watch said the US has transferred more than 500 people to African countries other than their own since the Trump administration began using third country deportations as part of its immigration enforcement programme.

MIGRANTS SENT TO COUNTRIES THEY HAVE NEVER LIVED IN

Under the policy, migrants who cannot be returned to their countries of origin are instead transferred to other countries that agree to receive them.
Human Rights Watch said the people affected include migrants and asylum seekers who may have legal protections preventing their direct removal to their home countries because of the risk they could face there.
The organisation said the United States had transferred people to several African countries, including Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini and South Sudan.
Its researchers interviewed 24 people who had been transferred from the United States to those six countries between February and July 2026.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ALLEGES VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

Human Rights Watch said the policy violates international human rights law and accused the US government of using migrants’ suffering as a deterrent to discourage others from attempting to enter the country.
The organisation also raised concerns about the principle of nonrefoulement, which generally prohibits states from sending people to places where they face a serious risk of persecution, torture or other grave harm.
According to the report, some people transferred to African countries were subsequently sent towards their countries of origin despite the risks they had previously identified.
Human Rights Watch said this could expose them to the very dangers that had prevented their removal directly from the United States.

MIGRANTS DESCRIBE BEING SHACKLED DURING FLIGHTS

People interviewed by Human Rights Watch described difficult conditions during their removal flights.
The organisation said interviewees consistently reported being restrained during journeys that could last 18 hours or more.
Some said they were shackled at their wrists, waist and ankles for the duration of the flights and were given little or no information about where they were being taken.
Others reportedly complained of inadequate access to food, water and essential medication.
One Ethiopian man transferred to Cameroon told Human Rights Watch that he did not know his destination until the aircraft landed.

SOME DEALS REMAIN UNCLEAR

Human Rights Watch said many of the arrangements between the United States and African governments remain difficult for the public to examine because their terms have not been fully disclosed.
The organisation said the transfers documented in its report were carried out under a mixture of arrangements and that many were not based on formal, publicly available safe third country agreements.
This has raised questions about what legal protections receiving countries are required to provide to deported migrants and what happens if those people fear persecution or serious harm there.

SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES HAVE DETAINED DEPORTEES

The treatment of deportees has varied from one African country to another.
Human Rights Watch said some people were detained after arriving in countries such as Eswatini and South Sudan.
In other cases, migrants were reportedly sent onwards towards their countries of origin.
The organisation said this has left some deportees facing an uncertain situation in which they may be unable to remain safely in the country to which they were transferred while also fearing return to their original countries.

LGBT MIGRANTS AMONG THOSE AFFECTED

Human Rights Watch also highlighted cases involving LGBT migrants.
The organisation said the United States had transferred at least a dozen people who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender to African countries where same sex relationships or public same sex conduct are criminalised.
Some of those migrants had previously received protection in the United States because of fears that they could face persecution in their countries of origin because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Human Rights Watch said their transfer created a difficult situation in which returning home could expose them to danger while remaining in the receiving country could also leave them without adequate protection.

US MIGRATION POLICY HAS EXPANDED UNDER TRUMP

The third country deportation programme forms part of the broader immigration enforcement policy pursued by President Donald Trump since his return to the White House in January 2025.
The administration has sought to increase deportations and negotiate arrangements with foreign governments willing to receive people whom the United States does not return directly to their countries of origin.
Human Rights Watch said ICE data showed that more than 500 people had been sent to African countries that were neither their countries of citizenship nor habitual residence between January 2025 and August 2026.

AFRICAN COUNTRIES FACE PRESSURE OVER DEPORTATION DEALS

The policy has also raised questions about the relationship between Washington and African governments that agree to receive deportees.
Human Rights Watch said the Trump administration has negotiated or concluded arrangements involving a number of African countries.
The organisation also said some African governments have faced pressure to cooperate with US immigration objectives, while some countries have resisted requests to accept third country nationals.
The agreements can therefore have consequences beyond immigration, affecting diplomatic relations and negotiations between the United States and African governments.

THE DEBATE CENTRES ON SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The US government has presented tougher immigration enforcement as part of its effort to control illegal immigration and enforce immigration laws.
Human Rights Watch, however, argues that enforcement should not come at the expense of due process or international protection obligations.
The central question is what safeguards are available to migrants before they are transferred and whether the receiving country can provide meaningful protection to people who may face persecution or other serious harm.
As the United States continues its deportation programme, African governments are also facing decisions about whether to accept people who have no connection to their countries and what legal and humanitarian responsibilities follow from doing so.