In July, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he had deported 100 migrants from "Alligator Alcatraz" by aeroplane.
"To get to where we were at the beginning of this month, and to now have flights leaving already with a facility that's been built out—That's incredible," DeSantis said, according to a report in the Floridian. He emphasised that Alligator Alcatraz was built in just eight days and has only been in operation since 1 July.
"This is just the opening stage. You're gonna see this really ramp up," he said, according to the report.
At that time, there was no information on where they had been sent. What was known was that US President Donald Trump had been having migrants sent to third countries and wanted to add more host countries.
In June, the Supreme Court authorised the relocation of deportees to third countries, meaning immigrants can be sent to countries where they have no ties, with strong dissents issued by the minority liberal justices.
Civil liberties and immigrant advocates have warned that third-party deportations deprive people of due process and expose them to danger.
El Salvador
El Salvador has become the most notorious destination for immigrations being deported from the US.
In March, the Trump administration deported more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to CECOT (Terrorism Confinement Centre), a maximum-security prison built in 2023 under Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. Most of these deportees were relocated to Venezuela in July; however, it is believed some deportees remain at CECOT.
Guatemala
In February, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said they had agreed to take in migrants from other countries who had been deported from the US.
“We have agreed to increase, by 40 per cent, the number of flights of deportees, both of our nationality and deportees from other nationalities,” Arévalo said, according to a February report from The Hill. The agreement is said to be similar to that of El Salvador.
Eswatini
In July, Trump reportedly sent five deportees from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen to the tiny southern African country of Eswatini.
"NEW: a safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed— This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back," Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wrote on social media in July. She also shared a photo of a man she described as a Vietnamese national who had been convicted of child rape.
South Sudan
In May, eight immigrants from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan were sent to Africa and held at a US military base in Djibouti.
In July, they were sent to the war-torn country of South Sudan, which has a US travel advisory due to the risk of violence.
Kosovo
In June, the small Baltic country of Kosovo agreed to accept 50 deportees from the US.
The Kosovo embassy reportedly told CBS that it would temporarily host deportees and assist in their return to their countries of origin.
Uzbekistan
In April, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was partnering with the government of Uzbekistan to relocate more than 100 US immigrants from Central Asia (Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz nationals) to Uzbekistan. DHS said Uzbekistan was fully funding the deportations of their own citizens.
"We commend Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev for his leadership in sending a flight to return 131 illegal aliens back to their home country," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, in a public statement. "We look forward to continuing to work together with Uzbekistan on efforts to enhance our mutual security and uphold the rule of law."
Libya
In May, the US government confirmed that it planned to deport migrants to Libya. However, Libyan officials from different factions have denied that they were in such talks with the US administration.
Rwanda
In May, officials in Rwanda said they were in early talks with the US to take in deported migrants. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said they were in negotiations with the US and that this isn't the first time they've engaged in such a deal.
Several years ago, the UK floated the idea of sending deportees to Rwanda, though that didn't move forward.
Uganda
In August, Uganda agreed to accept US deportees, provided they had no criminal records. The government also expressed a preference for those of African heritage.
The country's criteria of not accepting criminals raises the question of how this will keep Americans safe; they're sending only non-criminals to Uganda. Some human rights advocates have likened the policy to human trafficking, according to an August report by the Associated Press.
Paraguay
The South American country reportedly signed a third-country deportation agreement with the Trump administration in August.
Liberia
In late October, the Trump administration announced it wanted to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who had previously been mistakenly deported to his native El Salvador. He was returned to the US in June after nationwide protests and a visit by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen to his detention facility in El Salvador. His lawyer has suggested Costa Rica, which has offered to accept him as a refugee.
Equatorial Guinea
This African oil-exporting state is one of several countries that have agreed to accept money to accept deportees from the US. In November, the US transferred $7.5 million to Equatorial Guinea to accept non-citizen deportees. According to the UK's Guardian, this marks the first time funds initially allocated for refugee resettlement have been redirected to deportations.
Guantánamo Bay, US naval base in Cuba
In his second term, Trump has vowed to deport 30,000 migrants to the detention centre at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.
According to a report by NPR in June, Trump has sent around 500 migrants to Guantánamo. They also reported that in the first two months of operation, the US government had spent $40 million on holding migrants at the detention centre, with a daily cost of about $100,000.
Trump has also reportedly been eyeing Benin and Angola as third-country destinations for deportees.