Asuncion [Paraguay], April 22 : The South American country Paraguay has said it will accept non-citizens deported from the United States as part of President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Paraguay's Foreign Ministry, cited by Al Jazeera, announced on Tuesday that an initial group of 25 Spanish-speaking deportees will arrive starting Thursday.
"Each case has been evaluated individually, in full respect of national sovereignty, immigration laws, and international law," the statement reads.
Paraguay has joined a growing number of countries agreeing to accept "third-country" deportees from the United States, a system that allows migrants to be sent to nations with which they have no direct ties.
The Donald Trump administration has reportedly approached several countries for such arrangements despite concerns over human rights conditions in some destinations. Countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini and South Sudan have already accepted deportees, in some cases under multimillion-dollar agreements to detain them.
The initiative forms part of a broader push by Washington to tighten immigration controls, as reported by Al Jazeera.
As of February, Democratic lawmakers in the United States estimated that over USD 40 million had been given to foreign governments through contracts as incentives to accept deportees.
Robert Alter, an official at the US Embassy in Paraguay, cited by Al Jazeera, commended the agreement, describing it as a reflection of the strong ties between Washington and Paraguay.
"These migrants do not have pending asylum applications in the United States," the statement said.
"The intention of this collaboration is to facilitate the safe and orderly return of these individuals to their countries of origin," it further said.
Advocacy groups cited by Al Jazeera have alleged that the Donald Trump administration is using the threat of third-country deportations as a form of intimidation.
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