Original Date Announced

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States and Paraguay signed a safe third country agreement, which "provides asylum seekers currently in the United States the opportunity to pursue their protection claims in Paraguay." The policy objective of this agreement is to allow the two countries to "share the burden of managing illegal immigration while shutting down the abuse of [the U.S.] asylum system." The agreement forms part of a larger bilateral effort to "combat[] transnational crime, counter[] malign actors, and advanc[e] regional stability."

Third Country Deportation Watch provides detailed updates on this agreement.

Trump 2.0 [ID #2133]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.12.23 DHS Notice of Agreement - Agreement Between DHS and DOS and the Paraguayan National Commission for Stateless Persons and Refugees

DHS published the United States-Paraguay safe third country agreement signed on August 14, 2025, in which Paraguay agreed to consider accepting the transfer of third-country nationals. Paraguay agreed not to return any person transferred to their home country or a country of former residence until a final decision has been made regarding pending protection claims, and will determine a procedure to resolve pending claims. DHS also agreed not to transfer any unaccompanied minors.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.02.01 Reported: Expansion of safe third country agreement - Third Country Deportation Watch

The Third Country Deportation Watch reports that in February 2026, the safe third country agreement with Paraguay described above was expanded with an addendum to include third-country nationals “not processed by United States” who would be transferred to Paraguay. Paraguay stated that it would receive 25 people per month who would be evaluated for entry.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.04.22 Reported: First group of migrants sent from United States to Paraguay; some rejected - UPI

UPI reports that the Paraguay government rejected nine individuals from the first group of 25 migrants transferred to Paraguay under the expansion of the safe third country agreement described above. Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano stated that the nine individuals were deemed inadmissible due to a failure to meet specific documentation requirements during a verification process. The U.S. chargé d'affaires in Paraguay, Robert Alter, noted that the affected migrants do not have pending asylum claims.

According to the Third Country Deportation Watch, the United States sent another 10 third country nationals to Paraguay in May, and an additional 12 in June. As of late July 2026, none of the transferred people accessed the Paraguayan asylum system.