KEY POINTS
- Rwanda signs an agreement with the US to accept up to 250 deported migrants.
- Migrants will receive training, healthcare, and housing support.
- Rwanda can approve or deny individual migrants under the agreement.
Rwanda has reached a deal with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants deported from the U.S., which is a decisive victory in the Trump administration’s efforts to push the responsibility for immigration enforcement onto third countries.
The agreement, finalised in June and first reported by Reuters, allows Rwanda to vet each deportee, providing support for their reintegration into society. This is part of a broader effort to handle migrants that the U.S. administration deems difficult to deport to their home countries.
Agreement includes support for resettlement
As they integrate into Rwanda’s society, the accepted migrants will receive workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation assistance. Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo emphasised that Rwanda’s societal values—shaped by a history of displacement—make the country well-suited to assist migrants, offering them the chance to start over in one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies.
The agreement stipulates that deportees are free to leave Rwanda at any time, but they must be individuals who have completed their prison sentences or have no criminal cases pending against them. Rwanda will not accept deportees involved in serious crimes such as child sex offences.
Rwanda’s evolving role as a migration destination
This agreement with the U.S. marks another milestone in Rwanda’s positioning as a key player in managing global migration. According to Reuters, the country has previously signed similar deals, including one with the UK in 2022 to accept asylum seekers, though that arrangement was later halted.
While rights groups have criticised such deportation agreements as inhumane, Rwanda’s government defends the policy, noting that the resettlement program offers migrants a fresh start, with Rwanda being a country that knows the hardships of displacement. However, critics argue that these deportations could expose migrants to further risks.
