(WASHINGTON/JUBA) – United States Border Czar Tom Homan has admitted that the U.S. government does not know what happens to migrants once they are deported to South Sudan. His comments have sparked renewed concern over the lack of transparency and accountability in the Trump administration’s immigration policy, particularly regarding deportations to third countries.
Speaking on POLITICO’s The Conversation with journalist Dasha Burns, Homan said individuals deported to South Sudan are no longer under U.S. custody and that he had no knowledge of whether they are being detained or allowed to move freely.
“As far as we’re concerned, they’re free,” Homan stated. “They are no longer in our custody. They are living in South Sudan.” When asked if South Sudanese authorities detain such individuals, he replied, “I don’t know.”
The admission came during a broader discussion about the Trump administration’s attempts to deport migrants to countries that are not their country of origin, especially when their home countries refuse to take them back. In such cases, the U.S. has been negotiating agreements with third countries like South Sudan and El Salvador to accept these individuals.
Homan said that while arrangements are made to ensure receiving countries accept the deportees, there is little follow-up.
“We remove somebody to South Sudan — they can stay there a week and leave. I don’t know,” he said.
He also suggested that once migrants land in South Sudan, local authorities may assess their cases individually, especially if they are viewed as public safety threats.
“There are like a hundred different endings to this,” he added.
Migrant rights advocates have criticised these practices, arguing that some of the deportees were never South Sudanese to begin with, and that their removal raises legal and human rights concerns. According to these groups, deporting people to countries they do not come from, and where they have no ties or legal status, places them at serious risk of abuse, exploitation, or statelessness.
While the exact number of migrants sent to South Sudan under such arrangements is not publicly known, advocacy groups say the policy disproportionately affects migrants detained in the United States for immigration violations, some of whom are released into third countries with minimal oversight or legal protection.
The issue is particularly sensitive for South Sudan, a country facing internal economic pressures, political instability, and a fragile security environment. South Sudanese officials have not publicly confirmed or denied whether deported migrants are being detained upon arrival or allowed to settle.
The Trump administration has defended the approach as a way to protect U.S. national security.
“If there is a significant public threat or national security threat — one thing is for sure — they are not walking the streets of this country,” Homan said. “We will find a third, safe nation to send them to, and we are doing it.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has revealed that the U.S. is pressuring African countries to accept deported Venezuelans, some of whom were released from prison. He suggested Nigeria’s refusal to comply may have prompted a new 10% tariff imposed by the U.S. on Nigerian exports.
“We have enough problems of our own,” Tuggar said, stressing Nigeria’s unwillingness to be a dumping ground for foreign deportees.
The U.S. push to resettle deported migrants in third countries is part of a broader crackdown under President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. Reports indicate that several African countries, including Rwanda, have been approached to accept such migrants, including individuals with criminal records.
