The Escalation of the Third Wave of National Removal Operations

A defining characteristic of this third group is the inclusion of individuals from countries that have historically been difficult to repatriate due to strained diplomatic relations. The administration has employed a variety of geopolitical levers, including the threat of travel bans and tariff adjustments, to compel foreign governments to accept their nationals. In some instances, this has led to the pioneering use of third-country agreements, where deportees are sent to nations other than their own. Countries like Rwanda, El Salvador, and several Sub-Saharan African nations have appeared on flight manifests as destinations, highlighting a new era of international cooperation—or coercion—in the execution of American immigration policy.