Overview
- Human Rights Watch’s report published May 27, 2026, found that U.S. authorities removed more than 18,000 third‑country nationals between January 20, 2025 and March 9, 2026, with nearly 13,000 sent to Mexico under a transfer arrangement that has not been made public.
- Cubans were the largest group sent to Mexico, with 4,353 deported, and many of those interviewed had lived in the United States for years or decades and were often older adults with chronic health needs.
- The report says deportees were routinely denied meaningful chances to challenge removal to Mexico and described harsh U.S. detention conditions including overcrowding, poor medical access, extreme temperatures, and episodes of verbal or physical abuse.
- People deported to southern Mexican cities such as Tapachula and Villahermosa frequently arrived without identity documents, money, or belongings and faced an overburdened asylum system, limited pathways to legal status, and exposure to violence and exploitation.
- HRW urges the U.S. and Mexico to publish the transfer agreement, suspend or condition removals on legal protections, ensure access to asylum screenings and emergency medical and shelter services, and to consider age and health before enforcing third‑country removals.