The Republic of Kosovo has agreed to host up to 50 migrants deported from the United States over the next year, marking a new development in President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to partner with third-party nations in fulfilling his mass deportation agenda.
“The government has expressed its readiness to participate, with the opportunity to select individuals from a proposed pool, provided they meet specific criteria related to the rule of law and public order,” Kosovo’s government said in a statement Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.
The move aligns with the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to accelerate deportations and secure deals with foreign nations willing to accept non-citizens removed from the U.S., especially amid a surge in removals following the Supreme Court’s decision last month to end Temporary Protected Status for approximately 500,000 migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
While reports have circulated that other Balkan countries — including Serbia — have been approached about similar arrangements, Kosovo now becomes the first to officially confirm participation. The country, one of Europe’s poorest alongside Ukraine and Georgia, has shown previous interest in agreements that offer economic incentives in exchange for hosting deportees.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted an image on X last Friday showing a deportation flight leaving the U.S., with the caption, “deportation flights have begun.”
Though the Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether Kosovo will be compensated, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said:
“We are grateful to our partner Kosovo for receiving third country nationals removed from the United States and facilitating those aliens’ safe return to their home countries. We welcome cooperation on this key Trump Administration priority.”
The spokesperson declined to comment on whether the U.S. plans to pay Kosovo for accepting deportees.
Kosovo’s involvement in hosting foreign nationals tied to immigration or criminal justice schemes is not new. In 2022, the country signed a controversial deal with Denmark allowing up to 300 foreign prisoners convicted in Danish courts to serve the remainder of their sentences at a facility in Pasjan, in southeastern Kosovo. The deal, worth approximately $217 million (200 million euros), is set to begin implementation in 2027.
Similarly, the United Kingdom has explored creating “return hubs” in Kosovo and other Balkan states to house asylum seekers denied refugee status in Britain, as part of its broader push to stem illegal migration.
Kosovo’s willingness to participate in such programs has drawn criticism domestically, with concerns about sovereignty and human rights obligations. However, for the government in Pristina, the arrangements offer a rare opportunity for foreign investment and closer ties with Western allies.
The Trump administration has recently launched a new courthouse arrest strategy through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), aiming to detain more migrants during court appearances and fast-track removals — a tactic previously avoided under the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, the deportation of criminal migrants continues. Seventeen members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, alongside MS-13 affiliates, were removed from the U.S. and arrived in El Salvador earlier this year, according to El Salvador’s Press Presidency Office.
With input from Fox News.
