AMERICA:
Donald Trump’s incoming administration is stirring controversy with an ambitious — and polarising — plan to deport migrants to countries they have no ties to.
The Bahamas has already drawn a firm line, rejecting the proposal outright, while other potential destinations are similarly resistant. The scheme, which aims to execute what Trump calls the “largest deportation operation” in U.S. history, is already meeting stiff international opposition.
According to NBC News, Trump’s team has a list of countries — including the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Panama, and Grenada — they want to use as drop-off points for deported migrants if their home countries won’t take them back. But key details remain murky. For instance, it’s unclear whether deportees would be allowed to work in these countries, or how Trump plans to pressure these nations into cooperation.
The Bahamas isn’t interested in playing along. On Thursday, Prime Minister Philip Davis’s office made it clear that the country had “reviewed and firmly rejected” the plan.
Their neighbor, the Turks and Caicos Islands, echoed this sentiment, with Immigration Minister Arlington Musgrove saying deportation flights weren’t welcome there either.
While Trump’s plan is making waves, the concept of relocating migrants to third countries has precedent. During his presidency, Joe Biden explored similar options, negotiating with Suriname to accept Afghan refugees held in Kosovo.
The UK’s Conservative Party also attempted to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, but the plan was declared unlawful by the UK Supreme Court in 2023.
Even after adding security guarantees and ratifying a new treaty, the policy was scrapped when the Labour Party took power in 2024.
In Europe, countries like Turkey, Albania, and several EU member states have also participated in similar deals, agreeing to host migrants as part of broader political arrangements.
Trump’s approach is raising eyebrows for its scale and implications. Critics argue that relocating migrants to nations with no connection to them breaches international law and endangers asylum seekers fleeing violence.
During Trump’s first term, a smaller version of this plan sent deportees to Guatemala — a policy halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) took Trump to court over that measure, a case still ongoing.
Lee Gelernt, an ACLU lawyer, didn’t mince words: “We sued because it was illegal and put asylum seekers at grave risk.”
The ACLU has warned that if Trump returns to office, his administration will aggressively pursue mass deportation, promising to fight back every step of the way.
