Kosovo

As of mid January 2026, one or two people were reportedly transferred to Kosovo pursuant to a June 11, 2025 U.S.-Kosovo agreement. 

The disclosed diplomatic notes indicate that the agreement is for the transfer of third country nationals with final orders of removal and that the United States will provide Kosovo with information about the individuals transferred and funding to Kosovo for its reception of them. Kosovo agreed to accept up to 50 individuals over the course of, or for, one year and specified that third country nationals should “not belong to violent or extremist categories; not be subject to incarceration or pending criminal proceedings; ideally, share cultural or linguistic affinities that facilitate easier integration and humane reception.”

Before the diplomatic notes were released, the government of Kosovo stated that the deported individuals from the United States would be “temporarily relocated” to Kosovo while officials worked to facilitate “their safe return to their home country.” Kosovo’s president framed the deal as a “third country national agreement…to support President Trump’s agenda in fighting illegal migration” and reform of the refugee protection system globally. In its diplomatic note, the Kosovo government stated that it planned to implement the agreement with a process “aligned with both our national capacities and international obligations, including under the Convention Against Torture and regarding human rights and the principle of nonrefoulement.” But Kosovo is not a signatory to that Convention or to the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Kosovo’s detention record raises serious concerns about potential risks to people forcibly transferred to Kosovo by the United States (and perhaps from England in the future). Kosovo has struck a deal with Denmark to incarcerate 300 Danish prisoners in exchange for 200 million euros. Human rights groups monitoring that arrangement reported credible accounts of physical abuse in Kosovar prisons, including instances of detained people being punched and kicked while handcuffed. Rights advocates characterized such abuse as endemic, describing it as “part of the prison culture in Kosovo.” 

Prior to entering into this agreement, Kosovo has sought the Trump administration’s support in securing international recognition of its sovereignty—currently acknowledged by only 108 of 193 UN member states—and in advancing its application to join the European Union. Kosovo reiterated a request for U.S. support in this regard in its diplomatic note formalizing the agreement. In August 2025, Kosovo issued a decree that adopted the United States’ terrorist organization list in line with President Trump’s Executive Orders, with the President of Kosovo posting on X: “The Republic of Kosovo stands alongside the United States of America.”