The United States has signed new deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda, extending the Trump administration’s efforts to send migrants to third countries as part of its aggressive immigration crackdown, according to documents obtained by CBS News.
Under the deal, Uganda will accept an unspecified number of African and Asian migrants who had sought asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, provided they do not have criminal records. The number of migrants Uganda is prepared to take remains unclear.
Honduras, meanwhile, has agreed to accept several hundred deported migrants from Spanish-speaking nations over a two-year period, including families with children. Documents suggest Tegucigalpa could increase the number it receives beyond that initial commitment.
The arrangements are part of a broader push by President Donald Trump’s administration to secure bilateral agreements with countries across multiple continents—including nations with troubled human rights records—to accept deported migrants who are not their own citizens.
So far, at least a dozen countries have signed similar deals. Last week, the U.S. announced a “safe third country” agreement with Paraguay, while Rwanda said it would take up to 250 deported migrants under a deal that allows its government to approve each case individually.
Human rights groups have condemned the practice, warning that migrants face the risk of being relocated to countries where they could face harm or further deportation. “These removals to nations that are not the migrant’s homeland could violate international law,” UN rights experts cautioned.
Earlier this year, Panama and Costa Rica agreed to receive hundreds of African and Asian migrants from the U.S. Government documents also indicate outreach to Ecuador and Spain.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has made mass deportations a central focus of his presidency—a campaign promise that fueled support among his base. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for his administration to resume deportations to third countries, even without giving migrants the chance to contest the potential dangers they might face.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented sharply, calling the decision “a gross abuse.”
Despite mounting criticism, the White House has pressed forward, framing these agreements as necessary to manage “illegal immigration.”