U.S. and Rwanda Finalize Controversial Deportation Deal, 250 to be Resettled

Kigali and Washington Finalize Controversial Deportation Agreement

KIGALI, RWANDA – The United States and Rwanda have officially announced a new agreement that will see Rwanda accept up to 250 individuals deported from the U.S. This deal is part of a broader push by the U.S. government to expand its “third-country deportation program,” targeting individuals it claims have entered the country illegally, including those described as “the worst of the worst.” The agreement, signed in June, has already seen a preliminary list of 10 individuals sent to Rwanda for vetting.

According to a spokesperson for the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo, the agreement allows Rwanda to vet and approve each individual proposed for resettlement. Those who are approved will be provided with “workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives.” Makolo stated that the decision to accept the deportees is rooted in the country’s values of “reintegration and rehabilitation” and that nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement. Under the agreement, deportees are not required to remain in Rwanda and can leave voluntarily.

While the U.S. will provide a financial grant to Rwanda, the specific amount of the grant has not been disclosed. The deal follows a series of similar, though smaller, deportations to other African nations. Last month, the U.S. deported 13 individuals—eight to South Sudan and five to Eswatini—whom the Trump administration described as dangerous criminals with convictions in the U.S. The terms of those specific deals have not been made public.

This agreement with Rwanda is not its first such deal. The country had a similar, though ultimately failed, agreement with the United Kingdom in 2022 to accept asylum seekers while their claims were being processed. That deal was heavily criticized by human rights groups and eventually ruled unlawful by the British Supreme Court in 2023.

The new U.S.-Rwanda agreement has already drawn criticism from opponents who argue that sending people to a country where they have no ties and may not speak the language is dangerous and cruel. The legality of such “third-country removals” is currently being contested in a federal lawsuit in the United States, although a recent Supreme Court ruling allowed the administration to proceed with deportations without giving individuals a chance to prove they could be harmed.

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