U.S. Deports at Least 45 Brazilians to Costa Rica and Africa as Trump Expands Third-Country Removals
Updated
Updated · Valor International · Sep 8
U.S. Deports at Least 45 Brazilians to Costa Rica and Africa as Trump Expands Third-Country Removals
3 articles · Updated · Valor International · Sep 8
Summary
At least 45 Brazilians have been sent from the U.S. to third countries under the Trump administration, with 43 identified in Costa Rica and others in Liberia and Equatorial Guinea, according to NGO monitors.
Those removals appear to target some Brazilians who could not legally be returned home, including asylum seekers with protection claims, using third-country agreements to bypass limits on deportation to Brazil, experts said.
U.S. destination data remain opaque: court-based records show 2,279 Brazilian deportations since January 2025 without a listed destination, while Homeland Security declined to confirm operations, citing operational security.
Costa Rica has housed deportees in five IOM-funded hotels, where advocates say treatment has generally been better than in earlier Africa-bound cases, though families have still been split and some migrants say they cannot safely return to Brazil.
Brazil's Foreign Ministry says it began tracking the Costa Rica transfers in April and sought clarification from Washington, while rights groups warn deportations to Portuguese-speaking African countries could grow as new agreements emerge.