Overview
- Reporters from Forbidden Stories published with AFP corroboration say the U.S. relocated more than 25,000 people under confidential agreements negotiated by a new State Department unit called the Bureau for Remigration.
- The reporting says roughly 20,000 of those moved were sent to Mexico and the rest to 27 countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific, with deals reportedly reached with seven additional states.
- Internal documents and reporting name Christian Jové Ehrhardt as the bureau’s lead and state that roughly $410 million was allocated to negotiate agreements, pay partners, and fund related programs.
- AFP’s reporting added that U.S. diplomats used visa restrictions and other diplomatic pressure to win cooperation from some countries, while portions of the budget were directed to UN agencies and bilateral payments.
- The revelations raise questions about the legality and human impact of moving people to places where they have no ties, and the claims remain reported and corroborated by journalists rather than proven in official records or courts.