Rwanda agrees to take up to 250 migrant deportees
'When you're a small country, any time you can find a way consistent with your own policies and values, to be able to talk to a major country about something that it is interested in and not just asking them to take an interest in your issues, it just creates a more productive, obviously not equal, but a more balanced relationship and that's good for both sides,' the official said.
The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The State Department has already sent Kigali a list of people it wants to send in the first tranche. Rwanda expects to receive the first 10 deportees soon and will accept deportees in small groups, the second Rwandan official said. The nationality of the deportees was not immediately clear.
The administration has asked at least 15 African countries, including Eswatini and South Sudan, to accept migrants who cannot return to their home countries as part of its sweeping immigration strategy.
The U.S. will provide money to support these efforts, according to the second Rwandan official, who declined to say how much. El Salvador received $6 million to incarcerate Venezuelan and Salvadoran nationals. Rwanda, unlike El Salvador, will not be imprisoning anyone. The funds from the U.S. to Kigali will support extra work by Rwandan immigration authorities and the training programs.
Reuters previously reported that Rwanda had agreed to accept the migrants but did not provide details about the payment from the U.S. or the Rwandan government's motivations.
Per the terms of the memorandum of understanding agreed between the U.S. and Rwanda, Rwanda can approve each person who will arrive and will offer additional support.
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