The Trump administration spent more than $32 million paying five countries to accept roughly 300 migrants deported from the United States to nations where they held no citizenship or prior ties, according to a Democratic report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The 30-page investigation, released by committee Democrats and led by Ranking Member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, examines agreements through January 2026 and estimates that total spending on such third-country deportations may exceed $40 million.
The report describes high per-person costs, limited oversight of funds and cases in which migrants were later returned to their home countries at additional taxpayer expense.
Administration officials defended the policy as part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy.
The report details lump-sum payments to Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini and Palau totaling more than $32 million.
Rwanda received $7.5 million, plus additional flight costs, to accept seven people, amounting to more than $1 million per deportee.
Equatorial Guinea was paid $7.5 million to take 29 people, while Eswatini received $5.1 million for 15.
El Salvador received $4.76 million and accepted about 250 deportees.
Palau was paid $7.5 million but had not received any migrants as of January 2026.
Lawmakers also cited the use of military aircraft for some removals, adding millions in transportation expenses.
More than 80 percent of those sent to third countries have already returned to their countries of origin or are in the process of doing so, the report states.
In several instances, migrants were flown to a third country and later returned home on U.S.-funded flights.
The investigation raises questions about monitoring of funds sent to governments with documented corruption or human rights concerns.
It states that there is no evidence of systematic oversight to ensure money is used as intended.
Human rights organizations have reported alleged abuses involving Venezuelans detained in El Salvador after deportation.
Court filings cited in the report indicate that in some cases U.S. officials did not fully pursue travel documents from migrants’ home governments before arranging third-country transfers.
A federal judge reviewing removals to Ghana wrote in September that such actions “appear to be part of a pattern and widespread effort to evade the government’s legal obligations by doing indirectly what it cannot do directly.”
In a statement, State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the findings highlight enforcement efforts, adding, “Make no mistake, President Trump has brought Biden’s era of mass illegal immigration to an end, and we are all safer for it,” he said.