US spent $40M to deport roughly 300 migrants to nations other than their own: Democratic report

"WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration spent at least $40 million to deport roughly 300 migrants to countries other than their own as immigration officials expanded the practice over the last year to carry out President Donald Trump's goals of quickly removing immigrants from the U.S., according to a report compiled by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee."

"The State Department, which oversees the negotiations to implement the programs, has stood behind the practice of third country deportations and defended it as a part of Trump's campaign to end illegal immigration. "We've arrested people that are members of gangs and we've deported them. We don't want gang members in our country," Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded when asked about some of the third country deportations at a Senate hearing last month."

The administration spent at least $40 million to deport roughly 300 migrants to countries other than their own as third-country deportations expanded over the last year to accelerate removals. Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations panel, led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, criticized the practice as "costly, wasteful and poorly monitored" and called for serious scrutiny. The State Department defended the practice as part of efforts to end illegal immigration, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited arrests and deportations of gang members. Lump sum payments of $4.7 million to $7.5 million went to five countries; 47 agreements are at various stages.

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