US struck secret deportation deals with dozens of countries, investigation finds

The United States government has quietly negotiated deportation arrangements with dozens of countries, allowing immigration authorities to remove individuals to nations with which they have no personal connection, an in-depth investigation has found. Among those affected is an Iranian woman who was flown in shackles to an African country she had no prior knowledge of, her destination concealed from her and fellow detainees throughout the flight.

The arrangements, described as a deliberate show of force by the Trump administration, have seen thousands of people banished to unfamiliar territories far from their countries of origin. The cost of the operations is being met by American taxpayers, running into millions of dollars.

The deals have been conducted with little transparency, raising serious legal and humanitarian questions about the conditions under which deportees are transferred and the rights afforded to them during the process. Critics argue those affected have had scant opportunity to challenge their removal before being placed on flights.