Trump reportedly seeking out new horrific places to deport people
President Donald Trump is pushing ahead with his twisted fantasy of exiling immigrants to foreign nations, with two U.S. officials confirming the administration may soon begin deporting migrants to Libya using U.S. military planes.
If it moves forward, this would mark a sharp escalation of a deportation agenda already facing widespread legal challenges and political backlash. Reuters and other outlets say flights could begin as early as Wednesday, though the timeline remains fluid.
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The nationalities of those being targeted weren’t immediately clear. The White House didn’t immediately respond to Daily Kos’ request for comment.
“We do not discuss the details of our diplomatic communications with other governments,” a State Department official told Reuters.
This latest scheme to purge the country of anyone who isn’t white comes just days after the administration floated deporting people to Rwanda—a country that, just decades ago, was the site of a brutal genocide that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Indeed, the Trump administration has been aggressively pursuing deportation deals with countries willing to accept migrants who aren’t their own citizens. It’s already pressured several Latin American countries—including Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama—into accepting deportees. Now, Trump appears determined to expand that model to other continents, including Africa.
But Libya is a particularly alarming destination. The country has been mired in violence and political instability since its 2011 civil war. The State Department warns Americans not to travel there due to “crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.” And in its latest human rights report, the agency described Libya’s migrant detention centers—often filled with people trying to reach Europe—as “harsh and life-threatening,” with no access to courts or due process, even for children.
None of that seems to faze Trump. After all, this is the same president whose Cabinet wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador. Now, the White House is even weighing whether to reopen Alcatraz to hold what Trump calls “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”
In recent days, the administration has intensified its efforts to terrorize immigrants, sending a message that they can either face deportation to war zones or accept $1,000 to “self-deport.”
As of Monday, the Trump administration had deported roughly 152,000 people, according to figures from the Department of Homeland Security.
But Trump, who made immigration central to his campaign, is now pushing some of the most extreme enforcement actions of his presidency: sending increased troops to the Southern border, targeting millions for removal, and outsourcing deportation to some of the most dangerous places on Earth.
Voters, meanwhile, are rejecting this agenda. According to Data for Progress, 71% of likely voters oppose imprisoning immigrants with lawful status and no criminal record in foreign countries. And 72% say the government should have to present evidence before deporting someone it claims poses a national security threat. Fewer than a quarter believe the government should have a blank check to exile people without proof.
This isn’t policy—it’s punishment. And it’s being carried out in the name of a president who sees human lives as bargaining chips, and suffering as a political strategy.
Trump doesn’t care if it’s dangerous. He just wants it to be cruel.