Rwanda agrees to take deportees from the US

Perth Now

a day ago

Rwanda has become the third African nation to agree to accept deportees from the United States under the Trump administration's plans to send migrants to countries they have no ties with to get them off American soil.
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press in a statement that the East African country would accept up to 250 deportees from the US, with "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement" under the agreement.
Makolo didn't provide a timeline for any deportees to arrive in Rwanda or say if they would arrive at once or in several batches.
She said details were still being worked out.
The State Department said the US "works with Rwanda on a range of mutual priorities" but wouldn't comment on details of the deportation deal and what it called diplomatic conversations with other governments.
The US sent 13 men it described as dangerous criminals who were in the US illegally to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa last month and has said it is seeking more agreements with African nations.
It said those deportees' home countries refused to take them back.
The US has also deported hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the US illegally.
In March, using an 18th-century wartime law, the US deported more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre, which was built to hold alleged gang members.
Human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths as well as cases of torture inside its walls.
Rwanda attracted international attention and some outrage when it struck a deal in 2022 with the UK to accept migrants who had arrived in the UK to seek asylum.
The contentious agreement was criticised by rights groups and others as being unethical and unworkable and was ultimately scrapped when Britain's new Labour government took over.
Britain's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the deal was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrants.
Both South Sudan and Eswatini have declined to give details of their agreements with the US
Rwanda, a relatively small country of some 15 million people, has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from a genocide that killed over 800,000 people in 1994.
Government spokesperson Makolo said the agreement with the US was Rwanda doing its part to help with international migration issues because "our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation".
"Those approved (for resettlement in Rwanda) will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade," she said.
There were no details about whether Rwanda had received anything in return for taking the deportees.
Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, said "appeasing President Trump pays".
"This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration," he said.