# 13,000+ Asylum Seekers Ordered to Countries They've Never Visited Under Trump Policy > More than 13,000 people legally living in the US while awaiting asylum rulings have been ordered deported to countries they have no ties to — places like Uganda, Ecuador, and Honduras. Most haven't been deported yet, but they've lost work permits and are stuck in legal limbo. Advocates say the fear itself is the point. Canonical URL: https://thevisapulse.com/updates/trump-third-country-deportation-asylum-limbo-2026 ## At a glance - **Policy status:** Status unverified - **Last verified:** Not recorded - **Human review:** No human review recorded - **Published:** 2026-04-02 - **Impact:** high - **Document type:** Alert - **Source agency:** AP News - **Document number:** exa-aHR0cHM6Ly9hcG5ld3MuY29tL2FydGljbGUvdHJ1 Publication dates and impact ratings do not establish whether a policy is in force. Verify current status against the linked government evidence. See /about for our editorial process. ## Who is affected - Asylum seekers with pending immigration court cases - Immigrants legally residing in the US on asylum claim status - Immigrants from Afghanistan, Cuba, Mauritania, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and other countries ## Key changes - Over 13,000 asylum seekers legally in the US have been issued third-country deportation orders to countries they have no ties to. - Affected individuals have lost their work authorization immediately upon receiving these orders. - Few deportations have been carried out, leaving most recipients in prolonged legal limbo. - A federal judge ruled in February 2026 that the policy is unlawful, though the ruling was suspended pending appeal. - The administration spent at least $40 million to complete roughly 300 such deportations, per a Democratic report. ## What you should do If you have received a third-country deportation order, consult an immigration attorney immediately. Do not miss court dates. Contact organizations like the National Immigration Law Center for legal support. ## The Trump administration is ordering asylum seekers deported to countries they've never set foot in — and leaving thousands in legal limbo More than 13,000 immigrants who were living legally in the United States while waiting for rulings on their asylum claims have been ordered deported to so-called "third countries" — nations they have no connection to — according to nonprofit group Mobile Pathways. An Afghan man who fled the Taliban was ordered to Uganda. A Cuban woman working at a Texas Chick-fil-A was arrested after a minor traffic accident and told she'd be sent to Ecuador. Mauritanians, Venezuelans, Bolivians, and Ecuadorians across the country have received similar orders, often to places like Honduras or Uganda. ## At a Glance - **What:** The Trump administration is issuing third-country deportation orders to asylum seekers with no ties to those countries, leaving them in legal limbo. - **Who:** Over 13,000 immigrants legally residing in the US while their asylum cases are pending. - **When:** Ongoing as of April 2026; a federal judge ruled the policy unlawful in February 2026. - **Impact:** Affected individuals have lost work authorization and cannot advance their asylum claims in court. ## Stuck in limbo — and losing work permits Despite the volume of orders, few of these deportations have actually been carried out. But the consequences are immediate and severe: everyone under a third-country order has lost their legal right to work, a benefit most held while their asylum cases moved through the courts. Some are being held in immigration detention, though the exact number is unclear. All are in a bureaucratic no-man's-land — unable to argue their case in immigration court, unable to work, and uncertain whether they'll be placed on a deportation flight to a country they've never visited. ## A policy critics call deliberate intimidation "This administration's goal is to instill fear into people. That's the primary thing," said Cassandra Charles, a senior staff attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, which has been challenging the administration's mass deportation agenda. Advocates believe the fear of being sent to an unknown country is designed to pressure migrants to abandon their US immigration cases entirely and voluntarily return to their home countries — even countries they originally fled for their safety. ## What the courts have said A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in February 2026 that the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy is unlawful and must be set aside. Judge Brian E. Murphy suspended his decision for 15 days to give the government time to appeal. The case has already reached the US Supreme Court. Meanwhile, a Democratic report found the administration spent at least $40 million to carry out roughly 300 such deportations — a steep cost for a policy under active legal challenge. ## What You Should Do If you or someone you know has received a third-country deportation order: - **Get an immigration attorney immediately.** This is a rapidly evolving legal area — court rulings are actively challenging this policy, and your options depend on your specific case. - **Do not miss any court dates or USCIS deadlines.** Failing to appear could trigger automatic removal orders. - **Document your legal status.** Gather any work permits, asylum application receipts, and court notices. - **Contact legal aid organizations** such as the National Immigration Law Center if you cannot afford private counsel. This policy is being actively litigated. A federal court has ruled it unlawful — but until appeals are resolved, orders are still being issued. Do not wait to seek legal help. ## Sources - Source · apnews.com: https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-deportation-57084b48328548fbfda3355aa933913b --- _The Visa Pulse — Immigration Policy, Explained. Informational coverage of U.S. immigration policy, not legal advice._ - HTML version: https://thevisapulse.com/updates/trump-third-country-deportation-asylum-limbo-2026 - Markdown version: https://thevisapulse.com/updates/trump-third-country-deportation-asylum-limbo-2026.md - Agent instructions: https://thevisapulse.com/llms.txt - Sitemap: https://thevisapulse.com/sitemap.xml