U.S. Deports Nearly 13,000 Third-Country Nationals to Mexico in Sweeping Policy Shift
The Trump administration has deported thousands of long-term U.S. residents, including over 4,300 Cubans, to Mexico under an undisclosed third-country agreement.
By Factlen Editorial Team
- Human Rights Organizations
- Argue that third-country deportations violate due process and endanger vulnerable individuals.
- Immigration Enforcement Advocates
- Support the use of third-country agreements to bypass uncooperative foreign governments.
- The Cuban-American Diaspora
- Express shock and fear over the sudden loss of historical protections from deportation.
- Neutral Policy Observers
- Focus on the logistical and diplomatic mechanics of the shifting deportation landscape.
What's not represented
- · The Mexican government's official rationale for accepting the third-country deportees.
- · Local Mexican municipalities absorbing the influx of older deportees.
Why this matters
This marks a profound shift in U.S. immigration enforcement, effectively ending decades of protected status for Cuban nationals and establishing a precedent where long-term U.S. residents can be permanently exiled to third countries if their home nations refuse to accept them.
Key points
- The U.S. deported nearly 13,000 third-country nationals to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026.
- Cubans represent the largest group, with over 4,300 deported despite decades of protected status.
- The deportations rely on an undisclosed bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Mexico.
- Many deportees are older adults who have lived in the U.S. for decades and have no criminal record.
- Human rights groups warn that deportees face cartel violence and a lack of basic services in Mexico.
The Trump administration has deported nearly 13,000 third-country nationals—including more than 4,300 Cubans—to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026, marking a significant escalation in its mass deportation agenda.[2][3]
The removals rely on an undisclosed bilateral agreement with Mexico, allowing the United States to bypass uncooperative home governments that refuse to accept return flights.[3][7]
For decades, Cuban nationals were largely shielded from deportation due to Havana's refusal to accept them and the historic protections of the Cuban Adjustment Act. Now, they represent the largest single demographic swept up in the third-country removal program.[1][2]
A comprehensive report released by Human Rights Watch detailed the human toll of this policy shift, noting a 42 percent increase in the average monthly deportations of third-country nationals to Mexico compared to the previous administration.[2][5]
Many of the deportees are older adults—some in their 70s and 80s—who have lived in the United States for decades, building businesses, paying taxes, and raising U.S.-citizen children.[2][4]
The sudden enforcement crackdown has sent shockwaves through the Cuban-American diaspora, particularly in Florida and Texas, where 78 percent of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of these individuals occurred.[1][2]
Administration officials and immigration enforcement advocates defend the third-country agreements as a necessary tool to execute the president's mandate, arguing that individuals with final removal orders must be deported even if their home countries refuse to cooperate.[6]
According to the data, 55 percent of the Cubans sent to Mexico had a prior U.S. criminal conviction, though only 16 percent involved a violent or potentially violent offense. Another 26 percent had no criminal record at all.[2]
According to the data, 55 percent of the Cubans sent to Mexico had a prior U.S.
Once deported to southern Mexican cities like Tapachula and Villahermosa, the deportees find themselves in a permanent state of legal limbo.[3][5]
Mexico's asylum system is notoriously slow and under-resourced, and individuals who have lived in the U.S. for decades struggle to prove a "well-founded fear of persecution" in a home country they haven't seen in years.[2][5]
Without legal status or Mexican identification, the deportees are unable to travel freely within the country, secure formal employment, or access basic healthcare for chronic conditions.[2][4]
Human rights advocates warn that these individuals are highly vulnerable to cartel violence and extortion, effectively punishing them twice by dropping them in unfamiliar, dangerous territory with no support network.[3][5]
How we got here
January 2025
The administration begins ramping up third-country deportations to Mexico under an undisclosed bilateral agreement.
June 2025
The number of Cubans deported to Mexico surpasses the number deported directly to Cuba for the first time.
January 2026
Monthly deportations of third-country nationals to Mexico peak at over 2,000 individuals.
May 2026
Human Rights Watch releases a comprehensive report detailing the humanitarian impact of the deportations.
Viewpoints in depth
Human Rights Organizations
Advocates argue the policy violates international law and endangers vulnerable populations.
Groups like Human Rights Watch contend that deporting long-term U.S. residents to a third country without individualized due process violates both domestic and international law. They highlight the severe humanitarian consequences of dropping elderly individuals—many with chronic health conditions—into dangerous Mexican border cities where they lack shelter, medical care, and legal pathways to residency.
Immigration Enforcement Advocates
Supporters view third-country agreements as a necessary mechanism to enforce the law.
Proponents of the administration's approach argue that the U.S. cannot allow foreign governments to dictate its immigration enforcement. When countries like Cuba or Venezuela refuse to accept repatriation flights, third-country agreements with nations like Mexico provide a vital workaround to ensure that individuals with final removal orders are actually deported, rather than released back into the U.S. interior.
The Cuban-American Diaspora
Historically shielded from deportation, the community is grappling with a sudden loss of protected status.
For decades, the Cuban Adjustment Act and Havana's refusal to accept deportees meant that Cubans in the U.S. enjoyed a unique level of protection from immigration enforcement. The sudden inclusion of Cuban nationals in mass deportation sweeps has shocked the diaspora, particularly in Florida, leading to widespread fear among families who previously considered their long-term residency secure.
What we don't know
- The exact terms and financial arrangements of the undisclosed bilateral deportation agreement between the U.S. and Mexico.
- How the Mexican government plans to process the sudden influx of older, long-term U.S. residents into its strained asylum system.
- Whether the administration will successfully expand these third-country agreements to other nations in Central America and Africa.
Key terms
- Third-Country Deportation
- The practice of deporting an individual to a country other than their nation of origin, typically because their home country refuses to accept them.
- Cuban Adjustment Act
- A 1966 U.S. federal law that historically provided a fast-track pathway to permanent residency for Cuban nationals fleeing the communist regime.
- Final Removal Order
- A legal directive issued by an immigration judge requiring an individual to be deported from the United States.
Frequently asked
Why are Cubans being deported to Mexico?
Because the Cuban government frequently refuses to accept repatriation flights, the U.S. has utilized an undisclosed agreement with Mexico to deport them there instead.
Do these deportees have criminal records?
While 55 percent of the deported Cubans had a prior U.S. criminal conviction, only 16 percent involved a violent offense, and 26 percent had no criminal record at all.
Can the deportees legally work in Mexico?
Most cannot. Without legal status or Mexican identification, they are largely barred from formal employment and face a slow, under-resourced Mexican asylum system.
Sources
Source coverage
7 outlets
4 viewpoints surfaced
[1]The GuardianThe Cuban-American Diaspora
Living in fear of a knock at the door: the Cubans being deported under Trump
Read on The Guardian →[2]Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Organizations
“Casting Us Aside to Die”: Cuban and Other Third-Country Nationals Deported from the US to Mexico
Read on Human Rights Watch →[3]The Washington PostNeutral Policy Observers
The Trump administration has deported nearly 13,000 Cubans, Venezuelans and others to Mexico
Read on The Washington Post →[4]Los Angeles TimesNeutral Policy Observers
Trump administration deports nearly 13,000 Cubans, Venezuelans to Mexico
Read on Los Angeles Times →[5]JURISTHuman Rights Organizations
HRW: Trump administration deports third-country nationals to Mexico without due process
Read on JURIST →[6]Fox NewsImmigration Enforcement Advocates
DHS Secretary defends third-country deportation agreements as necessary enforcement tool
Read on Fox News →[7]The Associated PressNeutral Policy Observers
Report: US deporting older Cubans, Venezuelans to Mexico
Read on The Associated Press →
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