The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published an official message on its X account this Monday, warning migrants attempting to cross the border irregularly that they will be deported to a country chosen by the U.S. government, which may not necessarily be their own.
"Ilegal entry is not worth the RISK. If you cross the border illegally, you will be arrested, processed, and removed. With the support of DOW (U.S. Department of War) and the U.S. military, which assists in removal flights, DOW will remove you to a country of our choice," states the official CBP statement.
The message is accompanied by a video that shows the deportation process, starting from the arrest of an immigrant.
The combination of intimidating rhetoric and images of physical restraint reflects the deterrent strategy that the Trump administration has intensified in recent months.
The warning is part of the deportation policy to third countries that the Trump administration has been implementing since January 2025, under which migrants may be sent to nations with which the U.S. has negotiated reception agreements, such as El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and South Sudan, regardless of their nationality.
This practice was declared illegal in February 2026 by a federal judge in Massachusetts, who determined that it did not provide sufficient notice or an opportunity to contest the deportation outcome.
However, the Supreme Court allowed its temporary continuation while the litigation is resolved, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formalized it through an internal guideline issued on March 30, 2026.
The deportation infrastructure has been significantly strengthened. In December 2025, the U.S. allocated 140 million dollars for a fleet of Boeing 737s dedicated exclusively to removal flights, while the 2026 budget allocated approximately 75 billion dollars to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and 65 billion to CBP.
For Cubans, politics holds special significance. Cuba has historically been a challenging destination for deportations, but the third-country scheme opens the possibility for Cuban citizens to be sent to nations with which they have no ties.
In February 2026, a flight arrived in Cuba with 170 deported Cubans, and in March 2026, another flight was carried out with 117 returnees.
The MAGA movement pressured in April 2026 to deport at least one million undocumented migrants each year, demanding more detention resources, which anticipates an escalation of these operations in the coming months.
Filed under: