ICE deports more than 100 Afghans and others to eight African countries in expanded “third country” removals, CBS reports

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent more than 100 people, including Afghans and Cubans, from the United States to eight countries across Africa as part of an expanded “third country” deportation practice, according to internal government documents obtained by CBS News.

CBS reported that the removals occurred over a 10-day span, during which the Trump administration transferred deportees originating from Afghanistan, Cuba and other countries to multiple African destinations rather than proceeding with removals to their countries of citizenship or last residence.

The documents reviewed by CBS indicate that the administration used Africa-based transfer arrangements in a way that increased the number of people affected and expanded the set of receiving countries, framing the approach as a logistical and compliance mechanism within the broader immigration enforcement process.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have previously relied on third-country removal concepts in certain circumstances, but CBS reported that the latest movement shows a wider geographic scope and a larger batch size during a short window, raising questions about how intergovernmental coordination and detention-to-removal timelines are being implemented.

CBS said the internal paperwork details the outbound transfers and the destinations, but it did not, in its report summary, describe individual cases or provide a full breakdown of each person’s background beyond the countries listed as originating points for the deportation group.

Human rights groups and immigration attorneys have long argued that third-country removals can leave deportees in legal and protection limbo, particularly where asylum claims or eligibility for humanitarian relief are at issue. The practical effect, CBS’s reporting suggests, is that more families and communities within the United States face rapid separation, while foreign governments take on additional responsibility for receiving and processing people returned through U.S. enforcement channels.

As the department continues executing immigration enforcement, the CBS report is likely to prompt further scrutiny of the documentation, the criteria used to select third-country destinations, and the extent to which detainees were able to pursue rights and legal review before removal.