In a detailed report released on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Trump administration of deporting almost 13,000 third-country nationals between January 2025 and March 2026 without due process or access to basic services.

The report detailed the experiences of 53 deportees, most of whom fled political repression in Cuba and arrived in the US many years ago. They have since built businesses, purchased homes, and settled with families. Prior to deportation, many of the Cuban nationals were held in the US immigration detention system for several months, reporting “overcrowding, poor access to medical care, extreme temperatures, inadequate quality and quantity of food and lack of access to information.”

According to Alcira Silva Hava, a research fellow in the refugee and migrant rights division at HRW, the US deported them to Mexico because it cannot return them to their countries of origin. They were also reportedly removed without documentation, money, or any other belongings. None of the interviewees was permitted to challenge their deportation, violating due process rights under both US law and international law, according to the report.

These deportees are now facing Mexico’s arduous, slow and under-resourced asylum system, the report stated. Another barrier is that asylum-seekers must be able to demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries, which may be challenging for many of these deportees who have resided in the US for decades. HRW describes the lack of an alternative system as rendering the Cubans in a “permanent and deeply harmful state of legal limbo.” As Mexico is not granting them legal status, they are stuck in the country “with no shelter, no medication and at the mercy of criminal organizations,” said Silva Hava. HRW observed that most of the deportees are over the age of 60 and have chronic health conditions requiring medical treatment.

HRW called on the US government to comply with the Immigration and Nationality Act, which requires that everyone be given the chance to contest their situation. Further, transfer agreements should be transparent, with a guarantee of full, fair, and durable asylum procedures. HRW also recommends consideration of age, physical and mental health, disability, and the presence of family members in the US before enforcing deportation orders.

These findings emerge amidst ongoing scrutiny of ICE detentions, deportations, and deaths across the US. In January, the UN human rights chief similarly urged the US to ensure its immigration practices are consistent with international law. However, the Trump administration has drawn up transfer agreements with more than 30 governments, with approximately 17,400 people deported as of May.