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Boston Globe
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Rwanda in early talks with US to take expelled migrants
'It is true that we are in discussions with the United States,' Nduhungirehe said in an interview with Rwanda TV, the state broadcaster. 'These talks are still ongoing, and it would be premature to conclude how they will unfold,' he added. Advertisement Rwanda's government did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the State Department declined to discuss details of the talks, but said, 'Ongoing engagement with foreign governments is vital to deterring illegal and mass migration and securing our borders.' Rwanda has long positioned itself as a partner to Western nations seeking to curb migration, offering to provide asylum to migrants or house them as they await resettlement elsewhere, sometimes in return for payment. Nduhungirehe did not say whether Rwanda would be paid for the agreement. Critics say that sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda is unsafe, citing the country's poor record on human rights, its limited resources, and the authorities' previous intimidation and surveillance of migrants and refugees. The Trump administration has deployed a number of hard-line tactics to curb migration, including deporting individuals on well-publicized flights. Trump invoked a centuries-old law in March to deport scores of alleged gang members from Venezuela to El Salvador, even as a federal judge sought to halt the flights. Washington has been looking for more countries willing to take in people expelled from the United States. Advertisement The Trump administration has also been asking countries to take back their own citizens who have been deported from the United States, and taking punitive measures against those nations that refuse to do so. In early April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked visas for all South Sudanese nationals amid a dispute over the East African country's failure to accept a deported migrant. If Rwanda agrees to a deal with the Trump administration, it would be the African country's latest agreement to take in migrants. The small, landlocked nation hosts hundreds of African refugees from Libya awaiting resettlement in a joint partnership with the United Nations refugee agency. It has also signed a deal with Denmark to improve cooperation on asylum and migration, and it entered into a secretive partnership with Israel to receive deported African migrants. Rwanda agreed to a deal with Britain to receive third-country asylum-seekers in 2022 in a contentious plan that was later deemed unlawful by the British Supreme Court. Last year, the British government passed legislation to override the court's decision and declare Rwanda a 'safe country.' Only four people voluntarily left for Rwanda under the plan, and when the Conservatives lost the general election last July, the new Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped the deal. The program cost British taxpayers 715 million pounds (about $949 million), with some 290 million pounds going to Rwanda. Rwanda's government has said it will not repay the money. Advertisement The discussions between Rwanda and the United States were first reported by The Handbasket and coincide with a US effort to mediate a peace deal in the war between Rwanda and neighboring Congo. The Handbasket and Reuters news agency also reported that the United States deported an Iraqi refugee, Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, to Rwanda. Nduhungirehe did not refer to that case during his interview on Rwanda TV. This article originally appeared in
Epoch Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Rwanda Has Entered Talks With US to Receive Deportees, Foreign Minister Says
Rwanda has entered early talks on potentially taking in illegal immigrant deportees from the United States, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe announced on May 4. 'We are in discussions with the United States,' Nduhungirehe said in an interview with Rwanda TV, a state-run broadcaster. He said talks are only in the earliest stages. 'It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing,' the foreign minister said. Responding to a request for comment from The Epoch Times, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said the department is continuing to engage with foreign countries to help deter illegal and mass migration toward the United States. The spokesperson declined to comment directly on discussions with the Rwandan government. The Epoch Times also contacted the White House for comment, and did not receive a response by publication time. Related Stories 6/15/2022 4/20/2025 Since taking office, President Donald Trump has sought to expand efforts to deport illegal immigrants in the United States. Working to facilitate the broader deportation process, the Trump administration has sought deals for other countries to take in those deportees. In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio helped Speaking at a cabinet meeting last week, to mark Trump's 100th day in office, Rubio detailed the administration's continued search for partner nations to take in U.S. deportees. 'We are working with other countries to say, 'We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countries. Will you do that as a favor to us?' And the further away from America, the better, so they can't come back across the border,' the U.S. Secretary of State said. Rwanda has recently positioned itself as one potential reception point for countries seeking to offload their deportees. In 2022, then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson The UK–Rwandan agreement soon encountered legal challenges both within the UK court system and The After taking office in July, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, 'The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started.' Reuters contributed to this report.
Newsweek
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Admin in 'Early Talks' With Rwanda To Take US Deportees: Live Updates
The Trump administration is in "early stage" talks with Rwanda about the African nation accepting migrants deported from the United States. "It is true that we are in discussions with the United States," Rwanda's foreign minister Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe said on Rwanda TV. "These talks are still ongoing, and it would be premature to conclude how they will unfold." The Trump administration has already agreed a deal with El Salvador to accept third-country migrants, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that the U.S. was in talks with multiple other countries to try to get them to take people from third countries who are in the U.S. illegally. What to Know Rwanda would be the first African nation to accept migrants deported from the U.S. if they accept the deal, although the United States is also said to be in talks with Libya. Nduhungirehe did not confirm if Rwanda would be paid as part of the deal. A source told CNN that unlike in El Salvador, where migrants from America were sent to the notorious CECOT prison, in Rwanda, they plan to integrate them into Rwandan society through various social support programs and assistance. Critics warn that Rwanda has a poor record for human rights and could be unsafe for migrants. Stay with Newsweek for the latest.
Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Trump administration in talks with Rwanda for migrant deal
The Trump administration is in talks with Rwanda about a deal to take in migrants deported from the US, the African state's foreign minister has confirmed. 'It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but talks ongoing [with the US] … are in the early stages,' Olivier Nduhungirehe said in an interview on Sunday night with Rwanda TV, the state broadcaster. Rwanda has long positioned itself as a willing recipient of deportees from western countries, but schemes to host them in large numbers have repeatedly been thwarted by legal challenges. As part of a far-reaching clampdown on migrants, President Trump has pledged to deport millions of people who are in the US illegally or have criminal records.
Axios
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Rwanda in talks with Trump admin to accept deported migrants
The African nation of Rwanda is in talks with the Trump administration to accept U.S. deportees, the country's foreign minister confirmed late Sunday. The big picture: The Trump administration has pursued fast-tracked deportations with little or no due process, a strategy that's drawn condemnation from advocates and strong pushback from the federal judiciary. Some migrants have been sent to places other than their country of origin, including a mega prison in El Salvador built to house terrorists. Driving the news: " We are in discussions with the United States," Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told state broadcaster Rwanda TV, according to Reuters. "It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing ... still in the early stages," he said. The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Monday. Flashback: Rwanda struck a deal with Britain in 2022 to accept some asylum seekers for their claims to be processed — but it sparked humanitarian concerns and Prime Minister Keir Starmer eventually shelved it. Friction point: The United Nations refugee agency previously warned of harmful consequences from the asylum model proposed by the U.K.-Rwanda partnership, saying it was "not compatible with international refugee law." The arrangement would shift responsibility for asylum decisions and safeguarding refugees, the agency said. It further cautioned migrants could land in places where they were in danger. Rwanda's government pushed back on the claims. Zoom out: Trump told NBC News' Kristen Welker in an interview that aired Sunday that he didn't know if all people in the U.S. are owed due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment, or if he had a duty to uphold the Constitution.
