What is the Reverse of Extraordinary Rendition?

On June 15, 1992, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of United States v. Álvarez-Machaín that it is permissible for the United States to forcibly extradite suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the United States for trial, without approval from those other countries. This practice is known in the legal world as "extraordinary rendition." In real-people language, it's known as "kidnapping." One hopes that the Supreme Courts in other countries don't decide that they can legally do the same within the U.S.

Extraordinary Rendition has become a key element of U.S. government campaigns against drug trafficking and terrorism, and its most notable recent application came in January of this year, when U.S. forces attacked Venezuela, kidnapped President Maduro and his wife, and returned them to the United States for trial on drug trafficking charges. But, as useful as it's been for going after criminals and terrorists, its reverse action has become a part of Der Furor's war on immigrants.

"Third-Country Deportation" is the latest tool in the administration's anti-immigration toolbox. It refers to a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)* that allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deport migrants from the United States to countries other than their country of origin, or where they have other family or economic ties. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, third countries accepting such migrants (as of September 2025) were: Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador**,  South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). It should be noted that these countries are being paid by your government to accept these forcibly deported persons.

Think of Third-Country Deportation as the reverse of Extraordinary Rendition ... instead of snatching people out of their home countries and bringing them to the United States, we snatch people out of the United States and send them to countries where they have no ties of family, language, or culture. 

While I have no sympathy for those who enter the country illegally, neither do I respect the sadistic behavior of a government that refuses - for crass political advantage - to fix a broken immigration system that makes the problem worse.

Have a good day. Keep your head down so you don't have to worry about third-country deportation. You've got enough problems affording gas and groceries.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo 

* The specific citations are 8 U.S. Code § 1231(b)(1)(C)(iv) and 8 U.S. Code § 1231(b)(2)(E)(vii).

** Location of the dreaded CECOT megaprison.