A memo released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveals that migrants may now be deported to countries other than their own with as little as six hours’ notice, under certain conditions, according to a Reuters report.
The directive, dated July 9 and signed by acting ICE director Todd Lyons, outlines that while the agency will typically wait at least 24 hours before removing someone to a “third country,” that waiting period can be shortened to six hours in exigent circumstances.
The memo signals the Trump administration’s intent to accelerate deportations, including those to nations where the individual has no ties, no legal protections, or may not speak the language.
The receiving countries, according to the memo, must have agreed not to persecute or torture deportees and must accept them “without the need for further procedures.”
This new policy follows a June Supreme Court decision, which overturned a lower court order that had previously restricted third-country deportations unless the U.S. first assessed the threat of persecution in the receiving nation. With that ruling, the Trump administration resumed such deportations, despite legal and humanitarian concerns.
According to the report, eight migrants from countries including Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan, and Vietnam were recently deported to South Sudan. Additionally, the administration has urged officials in Liberia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gabon to accept migrants being removed from other parts of the world.
A DHS official defended the policy, stating it enables the government to quickly remove individuals who should not be in the U.S., including those with criminal records.
However, critics argue the policy is deeply flawed and potentially dangerous.
“It could be dangerous and cruel,” opponents said, noting that deportees may be sent to regions with no connections, unfamiliar languages, or threats of violence.
Trina Realmuto, an attorney representing a migrant advocacy group in a class action lawsuit, condemned the move:
“The new policy falls far short of providing the statutory and due process protections that the law requires.”
While third-country deportations have occurred before, they were rare and limited. Now, under the Trump administration’s evolving immigration agenda, this method may be employed far more frequently in an effort to escalate and expand deportation operations.
During his previous term (2017–2021), Trump’s administration deported small groups of migrants from El Salvador and Honduras to Guatemala, laying the groundwork for this broader shift.