Rwanda Agrees to Accept U.S. Deportees Amid Criticism

Kigali, Rwanda - Aug 5 – The Rwandan government has announced its agreement to accept up to 250 deportees from the United States as part of the Trump administration's expanding third-country deportation initiative. This was confirmed on Tuesday by Rwanda's government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, in communication with The Associated Press. She did not provide an immediate timeline for when these deportations might commence.

The US is actively seeking further agreements with African nations as part of President Donald Trump's strategy to deport individuals he claims entered the country illegally and are considered highly undesirable.

To date, the US has already relocated 13 individuals to South Sudan and Eswatini – eight and five respectively – tagged as dangerous criminals convicted of crimes in the United States. However, these partner countries have not revealed the specifics of their arrangements with the US. The Trump administration has also relocated hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama.

Rwanda, a nation in East Africa with a population of approximately 15 million, previously entered a controversial agreement in 2022 with the United Kingdom to receive migrants pending the processing of their asylum claims in Britain. This agreement attracted criticism from human rights organizations and others, labeling it as unethical and impractical. The agreement was eventually declared unlawful by Britain's Supreme Court in 2023 and was thus scrapped.

In May, Rwanda disclosed it was in talks with the US concerning a potential deportation agreement. (AP)

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