The US has deported thousands to third countries. This must stop | James A Goldston and Natasha Arnpriester

Monitors estimate 17,500 people have been sent to countries they may never have visited – and where they could face further dangerJosé Yugar-Cruz spent , despite never having committed a crime.Originally from Bolivia, he entered the United States legally at the Arizona border in July 2024, affirmatively approached authorities, and requested asylum. Six months later, a US immigration judge found he had been tortured in Bolivia, would probably face torture again if returned, and barred his removal to his home country. The government did not appeal. Yugar-Cruz was not released for almost a year. Instead, ICE spent months searching unsuccessfully for somewhere else to send him. He finally in December 2025.