Backdoor Migration: How Trump's Expatriate Mechanism Operates in Secret
Reporting on the harsh tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can be dangerous. Journalists face legal threats, detention, and forced expulsion. Salvadoran correspondent Mario Guevara experienced this firsthand while covering anti-Trump protests in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 14, 2025. Authorities detained Guevara and deported him to El Salvador just four months later.
In response, the Forbidden Stories network launched „The Deportation Project: Revelations About the Trump Administration's Mass Expulsions.”The massive effort brought together 72 journalists from 26 media outlets across 15 countries. Over six months, the team collected more than 100 direct testimonies, including 33 detailed interviews with affected migrants.
In response, the Forbidden Stories network launched
Data reveals a alarming trend. Since January 2025, over 25,400 foreign nationals were expelled to places they had never visited before. Crucially, many held legal protections against deportation to their home countries due to fear of persecution.
The investigation focused heavily on Africa, where Washington signed 12 of its 35 third-countryagreements. Journalists tracked deportees sent to Ghana, Cameroon, and Eswatini. These nations agreed to take undocumented migrants detained by ICE. However, the exact compensations offered by the US remain secret due to opaque negotiations.
Forbidden Stories coordinated the project alongside France 24 and RFI, devoting seven months to researching these covert deals. Published on September 21, 2026, the investigation highlights stories like David Rich's report on Cameroon, titled Waiting to Give In. Additionally, Karina Chabour produced the documentary ICE, Trump and Africa: Secret Deals, Broken Lives. It follows deportees sent to Ghana and Eswatini who had lived, worked, and raised families in the US for decades. Lise Kiennemann provided quantitative analysis alongside Evident Media, exposing a policy that prioritizes logistics over human safety.