Rwanda becomes latest country to agree to accept migrants deported by Trump

Kigali, Rwanda - Rwanda said Tuesday it would accept up to 250 migrants deported from the US under a deal agreed with Washington but gave no details on who could be included.

Rwanda's government spokesperson Yolande Makolo has said the country will "accept up to 250 migrants" deported from the US.
Rwanda's government spokesperson Yolande Makolo has said the country will "accept up to 250 migrants" deported from the US.  © REUTERS

President Donald Trump's administration has negotiated controversial arrangements to send people to third countries, among them South Sudan and Eswatini, in order to speed up deportations.

The latest deal follows a canceled agreement with Britain under which Kigali would have received deported migrants from the UK, but that multi-million deal was scrapped after the conservative British government that negotiated it lost last year's elections.

"Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants," government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told AFP.

New survey reveals positive impacts of DACA amid Trump's anti-immigrant assault
Migration New survey reveals positive impacts of DACA amid Trump's anti-immigrant assault
Kathy Hochul claps back at Ted Cruz critique over her wearing a hijab to slain cop's funeral
Politicians Kathy Hochul claps back at Ted Cruz critique over her wearing a hijab to slain cop's funeral

She said Kigali would maintain "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement."

The US State Department did not confirm the accord, but a spokesperson said the government was working with Rwanda "on a range of mutual priorities."

The spokesperson added that implementing Trump's immigration policies was "a top priority."

Makolo said Kigali had agreed to the new scheme with Washington because "nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement" and the country supported reintegration and rehabilitation.

Those who arrive in Rwanda will be provided with training, healthcare, and accommodation, she added.

No further information was given, including any timeline, with Makolo saying that Rwanda "will provide more details once these have been worked out."

Trump ramps up mass deportations

A Salvadoran soldier stands guard outside the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador.
A Salvadoran soldier stands guard outside the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador.  © REUTERS

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations of undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own.

His administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador, where they were kept in a harsh high-security jail before being returned to Venezuela amid accusations of torture.

Some of them described the prison conditions in El Salvador as a violent "hell" in interviews. The Venezuelan government said only a fraction of them had criminal records.

Trump launches legal probe of Special Counsel Jack Smith after "witch hunt" criminal cases
Donald Trump Trump launches legal probe of Special Counsel Jack Smith after "witch hunt" criminal cases
Pete Hegseth announces return of Confederate memorial to Arlington Cemetery
Black Lives Matter Pete Hegseth announces return of Confederate memorial to Arlington Cemetery

Trump's administration has defended so-called third-country deportations, saying the home nations of some of those targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them.

Rights experts have warned that the deportations risk breaking international law by sending people to nations where they face the risk of torture, abduction, and other abuses.

South Sudan – which is verging on renewed conflict – accepted eight migrants, with Juba saying in July they remained in government care. Only one was South Sudanese.

Five other migrants were flown from the US to Eswatini in July and incarcerated. The government later said they would be repatriated to their own nations.

Rwanda and DRC reach peace agreement

President Donald Trump (c.) speaks during a meeting with the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe in the Oval Office of the White House on June 27, 2025.
President Donald Trump (c.) speaks during a meeting with the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe in the Oval Office of the White House on June 27, 2025.  © REUTERS

Rwanda, home to 13 million people in Africa's Great Lakes region, claims to be one of the most stable countries on the continent and has drawn praise for its modern infrastructure.

However, the migrant agreement with London drew criticism from rights groups and faced a long-running legal challenge.

President Paul Kagame's government is often accused of crushing political dissent and press freedom.

Kigali has also come under pressure over its role in the violence roiling the neighboring eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

DRC saw a fresh surge of clashes this year when the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan troops, captured two major cities.

In June, the DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern DRC.

Cover photo: REUTERS

More on Migration: