During today’s White House Cabinet meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed a major update on the Trump administration’s aggressive push to speed up deportations and crack down on illegal immigration.
According to Rubio, the United States has now secured agreements with twenty countries around the world allowing the U.S. to deport illegal immigrants there — even if those individuals are not originally from those nations.
The strategy appears to be serving a second purpose as well: leverage.
Rubio explained that many illegal immigrants who were previously fighting deportation cases suddenly become much more cooperative when faced with the possibility of being deported somewhere other than their homeland.
“What often happens when you go to the person who’s here unlawfully and say, ‘we’re going to send you to this third country,’ is all of a sudden they decide they’d rather go back to their home country instead,” Rubio explained during the meeting.
The administration’s tactic has already sparked major reactions online, especially after examples were floated involving migrants choosing voluntary return to countries like El Salvador rather than risk being deported to unfamiliar nations in Africa or elsewhere.
Supporters of the policy argue it is a brilliant negotiating tool that discourages endless legal battles and speeds up removals without requiring years of court proceedings. Critics, meanwhile, are expected to challenge the policy in court and raise humanitarian concerns over deportations to countries with which migrants may have no connection.
So far, the Trump administration has not publicly released the names of all twenty participating countries. Officials also have not confirmed exactly how many illegal immigrants have already been deported to third-party nations under the program.
Still, estimates suggest the policy is already being used at significant levels.
According to reporting from NBC News, the Migration Policy Institute estimated that approximately 15,000 third-country deportations occurred between January 20, 2025, and December 31, 2025. Roughly 13,000 of those deportees were reportedly sent to Mexico.
The policy marks yet another example of the Trump administration taking an unconventional approach to immigration enforcement. Since returning to office, President Trump has repeatedly vowed to accelerate deportations, tighten border security, and reduce incentives for illegal immigration.
Rubio’s comments suggest the administration believes this latest strategy is already accomplishing exactly that.
Leave a Comment