Rwanda agrees to receive up to 250 migrants deported from the US

Rwanda has agreed to take in up to 250 migrants deported from the United States, becoming the third African country to do so under an arrangement with the Trump administration.

The deal has sparked criticism amid concerns that African nations are being pressured by Washington to accept deportees.

Previously, groups of non-American migrants deported from the US had been relocated to South Sudan and Eswatini.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security described the individuals involved as “barbaric” criminals.

Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo confirmed the agreement to CNN on Tuesday, saying, “We have agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants,” with Rwanda retaining the right to approve each case.

“When approved,” she said, “they will be provided with workforce training, health care, and accommodation support to jump start their lives in Rwanda,” allowing them to “contribute to one of the fastest growing economies in the world over the last decade.”

Rwanda, with a population of under 15 million, has a history of cooperating on third-country resettlements. Since 2019, it has worked with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to temporarily host asylum seekers evacuated from Libya, accommodating nearly 3,000 people.

In 2022, Rwanda signed a deal with the UK to receive asylum seekers who had entered Britain illegally. However, the plan faced legal challenges and was eventually cancelled after Keir Starmer became prime minister in July 2024. Rwanda, at the time, said it would not return the over $300 million it had received for the deal.

Makolo did not specify whether the US deportees would be housed in the same facilities intended for the UK migrants or what Rwanda stands to gain from the agreement. “We will provide more details once these have been worked out,” she told CNN.

Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, disclosed in May that talks with the US were already underway.

The Trump administration has continued to pursue similar arrangements with other African nations despite objections from critics who say Africa is being used as a “dumping ground” for individuals the US does not want.

Last month, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for the administration to deport some migrants to countries other than their own with minimal notice.

A January executive order from former President Donald Trump directed officials to find international partners willing to accept migrants, especially in cases where home countries refuse repatriation.

A White House official told CNN on Tuesday: “The United States is constantly engaged in diplomatic conversations with foreign nations who are willing to assist us in removing the illegal aliens that (former US President) Joe Biden allowed to infiltrate American communities.”

There have also been reports of pressure on larger African nations, including Nigeria and South Africa, to accept deported individuals.

In Rwanda’s case, critics have pointed to past human rights concerns. During discussions over the now-cancelled UK deal, the UNHCR acknowledged Rwanda’s role in hosting refugees but warned of risks, including the possibility of refoulement, or the return of individuals to countries where they may face harm.

Rwanda denied the claim, stating it “does not refoule asylum seekers.”

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