Deported to a Country You’ve Never Been To? ICE’s New Rule Raises Grave Questions and Leaves Immigrants With Few Answers

Imagine waking up in the United States, where you’ve lived for years, maybe decades, only to be told you’re being deported… to a country you’ve never seen, have no ties to, and that never agreed to receive you.

This isn’t dystopian fiction. It’s the reality under a new policy quietly enacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 9, 2025, that permits deportation to third countries with as little as six hours’ notice, even when there is no prior connection or consent involved.

In a memo titled “Expedited Removal Guidance for Third-Country Nationals”, ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons authorized field officers to deport immigrants to third countries without requiring evidence that the individual has nationality, legal residence, or familial ties there, and without any confirmation that they’ll be safe upon arrival.

According to The Washington Post, this move marks a radical escalation of Trump-era policies. Human rights groups and legal scholars say it blatantly violates the United States’ obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which prohibits returning anyone to a country where they are likely to face torture or other inhumane treatment.

“Expedited” With No Warning—and No Safety Net

Under this new policy, individuals facing deportation can be removed with just six hours’ notice, barely enough time to contact a lawyer, family, or gather documents. There is no requirement for the destination country to accept the person, nor any assurance that they will be safe once there.

Previously, ICE policy required a “receiving country” to at least consent to the person’s arrival and ideally have some legal or personal connection to them. That safeguard is now gone.

The AP reports that some deportations may involve countries in Africa or Southeast Asia where the U.S. has no clear diplomatic or legal arrangements for receiving deportees, raising questions about how these removals are even logistically feasible, let alone humane.

What Happens After Someone Is Deported?

Let’s say you—or someone you love—is deported under this policy. What next?

1. Can They Move to Another Country From There?

Possibly, but it’s complicated. If the person has no citizenship, visa, or residence status in the receiving country, they are technically stateless, with no legal ability to move freely or seek refuge elsewhere unless they can obtain documents or asylum in a second country.

Many deportees are left in legal limbo, unable to work, travel, or access services. Some may be detained by local authorities or even re-persecuted in the new country.

2. What Happens to Their Passport?

If the deportee is not a U.S. citizen, their original national passport may or may not be in their possession. In expedited removals, ICE may seize documents, or a passport may expire while a person is in custody. In some cases, ICE issues travel documents through foreign embassies to facilitate deportation—without the individual’s consent.

Without a valid passport, travel to another country becomes virtually impossible, barring refugee status or rare humanitarian visas.

3. What About Their Finances in the U.S.?

Deportees often lose access to their U.S. bank accounts, retirement funds, and personal assets. Most cannot easily recover funds without a U.S.-based representative or power of attorney. Credit cards, loans, leases, and taxes remain active, which means collections, interest, and penalties can continue to accumulate in their absence.

Unless they act through legal counsel or someone with financial authority on their behalf, they could lose savings, property, or even vehicles.

4. What About Their Children and Family?

In many cases, U.S.-born children are left behind, often in the care of family or foster systems. Parents have limited ability to regain custody, participate in school decisions, or even communicate regularly.

In cases documented by The Verge, ICE flights known as “ICE Air” have forcibly separated families across continents with no reunification plan. Emotional and legal trauma often follows, especially when there’s no clear country to claim the deportee as a citizen.

What You Can Do If You or Someone You Know Is Deported

If you or someone you love has been deported under this policy:

• Seek legal counsel immediately. Organizations like the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project or RAICES can advise on next steps, possible appeals, or refugee claims in the receiving country.
• Work with a U.S.-based advocate or family member to handle finances, notify banks, and request any legal records or power of attorney.
• If you are left stateless, consider applying for asylum in the country where you are currently located, but understand that few countries will accept someone with no papers or legal entry.
• Stay safe and document everything: your treatment, communications with ICE, and any threats faced in the receiving country. These records may support future legal actions or claims under international law.

A Call for Oversight—and Outrage

This rule isn’t just cruel. It’s legally dubious and morally indefensible. It runs counter to international treaties, human rights principles, and America’s own historic role as a place of refuge.

There is still time for legal challenges, public pressure, and international condemnation to reverse this policy, but for those already caught in its sweep, the damage may be irreversible.

As voters, neighbors, and citizens, we have to ask:
Is this who we are?