Donald Trump's administration is pressuring Serbia and other Balkan countries to accept migrants deported from the United States, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, according to sources close to the matter.
These efforts are part of a broader strategy to find countries willing to accept people removed from the US, including those who had entered with protection granted during the Biden presidency.
The sources said the State Department's regional office has been tasked with promoting the idea in Balkan countries. It is not yet clear whether any concrete agreement has been reached.
Serbia, which had not previously been mentioned as a possible destination, now comes to the fore, especially because of its ties to the Trump family.
A Trump Tower is planned to be built in Belgrade by an investment firm co-founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Trump. The project will use the Trump Organization brand, which is currently run by his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. The latter has visited Serbia several times and in April this year dined with President Aleksandar Vučić.
Vucic is a known Trump sympathizer and has maintained close relations with key figures in the MAGA camp.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also considering other countries in the Balkans, such as Kosovo, for the settlement of deported immigrants.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has used a wartime law to justify deportations, labeling some immigrants as "enemy aliens" in the event of threats to the US.