The Donald Trump administration is allegedly considering sending deportees from Asia and Africa to Guyana, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News, an American media outlet.
Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, told reporters Friday that “nothing specific” has been settled upon yet, although he did mention that he has been in discussions with the United States over issues pertaining to migration.
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Concerning the February 13, 2025, CBS news story, “The U.S. has long had difficulty deporting migrants from Africa and Asia, due to the long distances involved in deportations to the Eastern Hemisphere and decisions by governments in those continents to limit or reject American deportations flights”.
According to the media, the Trump administration is now making efforts to persuade nations to take in migrants who are hard to deport even though they are not residents of their country.
According to the American news agency, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Panama have already consented to take in U.S. third-party deportees. According to reports, El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has volunteered to take in and hold alleged Tren de Aragua gang members who have been expelled from the United States.
119 deportees from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam have reportedly already boarded Panama’s first aircraft.
All deportations under the terms of the U.S.-Panama agreement are being paid for by the government.
President Ali was recently asked about the White House’s intentions while attending an event. Initially, he informed reporters that although Guyana had addressed Donald Trump’s immigration policy—which calls for the deportation of all undocumented immigrants from the United States—with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, there had been no explicit conversation about welcoming them to the nation.
When asked for clarification, President Ali informed journalist Gordon Moseley, “There is nothing about accepting deportees, there were some specific issues of which I will not go into details here in terms of the movement, which includes flight and movement of people but there is nothing specific… there is nothing specific at this moment.”
Moseley referred to a recently posted article and inquired if his administration had discussed with the United States the possibility of Guyana receiving third-party deportees, or deportees from other nations.
President Ali noted, “I don’t see the report that you are referring to… so I cannot comment on it.” He further remarked, “But of course, the U.S. is a strong partner of Guyana.”
He described his conversations with the recently appointed U.S. Secretary of State, “My discussions with Secretary Rubio…we have discussed a range of issues including the migration issue.”
The president was asked further questions by Moseley. “Have you discussed at all, including with the visit by U.S. Marshalls, the possibility of Guyana accepting deportees from other countries and having them here in prison?”
President Ali responded by saying, “Absolutely not! We would not have anyone here in prison”.
The president then said that accepting foreign deportees does not mean having them in prison.
President Ali explained, “What we are discussing is our partnership with the U.S. and as the U.S. unfolds its programs and plans wherever Guyana can be of support… but nothing about prisons or having persons in prison and deportees here. Specific issues were discussed which I am not going to go into detail on.”
