Trump’s deportation program sends Russian citizens to these four countries — not Russia — under secret agreements

Since January 2025, Trump's administration has secretly deported over 25,000 migrants from the U.S. to countries they had no connection with, according to an investigation by Forbidden Stories. Out of these, approximately 20,000 were transported to Mexico, while more than 5,000 were flown to continents including Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.

Some deportees were subsequently moved to their original countries, potentially putting their safety or liberty at risk. The U.S. has reportedly established confidential agreements with 35 nations to receive these migrants. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has been included in these pacts. Deportations of Russian citizens have been sent to four specific countries: Costa Rica, Panama, the Central African Republic, and Moldova.

These individuals were often asylum seekers fearing persecution in their home nations. In 2025, there were deportation flights from the U.S. carrying Russian citizens, which included stops in Egypt and Kuwait. At Meduza, we emphasize transparency regarding our use of artificial intelligence in journalism. This report, penned by one of our human journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model, has undergone rigorous editorial scrutiny by Meduza editors before being published.

Should you detect any inaccuracies in this translation, kindly reach out to reports@meduza.io. To access Meduza's exclusive English-language content, please subscribe to our newsletter.