Paraguay to accept 25 US deportees under third-country arrangement
The South American nation joins growing list of countries receiving immigrants expelled from the United States who have no ties to the destination.
Paraguay to accept 25 US deportees under third-country arrangement
The South American nation joins growing list of countries receiving immigrants expelled from the United States who have no ties to the destination.
Paraguay will receive an initial group of 25 Spanish-speaking deportees from the United States beginning Thursday, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday1. The deportees are part of President Donald Trump's expanded immigration enforcement efforts, which include agreements with countries to accept non-citizens expelled from the US who have no connection to the receiving nation1.
The Paraguayan government said each case had been "evaluated individually, in full respect of national sovereignty, immigration laws, and international law"1. Paraguay becomes one of several countries participating in what US officials term "third-country" deportations1.
The Trump administration has approached dozens of countries to participate in such arrangements, in some cases signing multimillion-dollar agreements1. Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini and South Sudan have also accepted deportees under similar terms1.
Fifteen South American migrants and asylum seekers deported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo last week reported facing pressure to return to their countries of origin despite safety concerns2. Women from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador told Reuters they had been given no credible options other than returning home2. A 29-year-old Colombian woman said, "We feel pressured to agree to go back to our country, regardless of the risks"2.
The Congolese government emphasized that the deportees' stay is temporary and that Washington is funding "their reception, support and care"3. Kinshasa said the arrangement aligns with its commitment to human dignity and international solidarity, while stating it is not "a permanent relocation mechanism or an outsourcing of migration policies"3.
The US State Department said it remained "unwavering" in its "commitment to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America's border security"3. Rights advocates have raised concerns about human rights conditions in some proposed destination countries1.