Trump Administration’s ‘Third Country’ Deportation Policy Costs Taxpayers Over $40 Million

By Theodore Bunker | Friday, February 13, 2026, 2:15 PM EST

A report released this week by Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee alleges that President Donald Trump’s administration spent more than $40 million in 2025 to send hundreds of migrants to at least two dozen countries that were not their home nations.

The 35-page analysis states that the administration relied on financial incentives and other arrangements to expand what are often termed “third country” removals, shifting them from rare, exceptional uses into a routine tool of immigration enforcement.

The report estimates more than $32 million in direct payments to five countries — El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Eswatini, and Palau — and over $7 million for deportation flights linked to additional destinations including South Sudan, Ghana, Panama, and Uganda.

“The administration has pursued these arrangements through opaque negotiations, including with corrupt governments, without meaningful oversight or accountability,” the report’s executive summary states.

It further notes: “Tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds have been sent to foreign governments, yet Congress and the public have few details on the terms of these deals, how funds are being used, or what the United States is offering in return.”

Democratic staff reported that lump-sum payments were sometimes provided before any third-country nationals arrived. The report also highlighted the use of military aircraft that can cost more than $32,000 per hour for some flights, including missions carrying small numbers of people.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, the panel’s ranking member, stated in a press release: “This report outlines the troubling practice by the Trump Administration of deporting individuals to third countries — places where these people have no connection — at great expense to the American taxpayer and raises serious questions.”

She added: “Through its third country deportation deals, the Trump Administration is putting millions of taxpayer dollars into the hands of foreign governments, while turning a blind eye to the human costs and potentially undermining our diplomatic relationships. For an Administration that claims to be reigning in fraud, waste and abuse, this policy is the epitome of all three.”

The report details legal challenges related to the removal of Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used 1798 law invoked by the administration last spring. Approximately 250 Venezuelan migrants were sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador under that policy and later transferred back to Venezuela through a prisoner swap.

On Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled that some deportees must be returned to the United States while they challenge their removals, requiring the government to facilitate return and cover travel for eligible hearings as the Justice Department appeals.

The committee staff report reflects a months-long review of agreements and removals through January 2026, as Democrats push for greater transparency regarding costs, oversight, and negotiations with receiving governments.