The US has reached bilateral agreements with Honduras and Uganda to accept deported migrants, part of President Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigration, according to documents obtained by CBS News.

Under the arrangement, Uganda will take in an unspecified number of African and Asian migrants who had sought asylum at the US–Mexico border, provided they have no criminal history. Honduras will accept several hundred deported migrants from Spanish-speaking countries over two years, with the option of taking more, CBS reported.

The deals mark the latest step in the administration’s push to expand deportation agreements with countries beyond migrants’ homelands — a strategy that critics warn could put vulnerable people at risk.

Human Rights Concerns

Rights groups and UN experts have condemned the policy, saying migrants may face danger if sent to countries with poor human rights records or limited asylum protections. Campaigners warn such removals could breach international law.

Uganda and Rwanda — which recently agreed to take up to 250 US-deported migrants on a case-by-case basis — have both faced scrutiny for their human rights practices. Critics say deportees risk being expelled onward to unsafe destinations.

Broader Strategy

At least a dozen countries have now signed similar deals with Washington. In recent months:

  • Paraguay signed a “safe third country” agreement to share responsibility for migrants.

  • Panama and Costa Rica agreed to take in several hundred African and Asian migrants.

  • The US has also approached Ecuador and Spain for potential deals.

The agreements follow a June Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to third countries without requiring hearings on potential risks. Three justices dissented, calling the decision “a gross abuse.”

Political Context

Since the start of his second term, Trump has made large-scale removals of undocumented migrants a central policy goal, delivering on a signature campaign promise that helped fuel his re-election.