While WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange bunks at the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, other fugitives are on their way to the U.S. in handcuffs, where prosecution or prison await them. Latin America and Canada account for the bulk of the fugitives, who are most often sent to the United States to face narcotics charges, says Chief Inspector Billy Sorukas of the U.S. Marshals Service. After the extradition process, which can take a few days to a decade, U.S. marshals escort them back to the United States across the border or on commercial, private, or military flights. Other countries extradited or deported 894 people to the United States last fiscal year. If Ecuador doesn't grant him political asylum, Julian Assange may join this year's ranks after he undergoes prosecution in Sweden; his lawyer says he may then be extradited to the United States and face prosecution there under the Espionage Act.

The map above includes both extraditions and deportation of fugitives coordinated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Many countries deport fugitives on immigration law violations to avoid the lengthier extradition process, according to Sorukas.