Trump Administration Expands Deportation Agreements with Uganda
The Trump administration has added another international partner to its efforts of designating various locations for deported immigrants from the U.S.
Uganda has reached a “temporary arrangement” to accept individuals deported from the U.S., but this is contingent on specific conditions. This announcement was made by the national Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. With Uganda joining, it becomes the second East African nation in recent months to formally accept asylum seekers from the U.S., supporting the White House’s deportation plan.
Vincent Bagia Waiswa, the Director at Uganda’s Foreign Ministry, mentioned in a public statement, “In line with Uganda’s bilateral cooperation with the U.S., we have concluded a cooperation agreement concerning protection requests.” He added that the agreement will focus on foreign nationals who may not be eligible for asylum in the U.S., but might have hesitations about returning to their home countries.
Waiswa emphasized that this is indeed a “temporary arrangement” and specified that Uganda will only consider asylum seekers who have no criminal background. He noted a preference for individuals from other African countries, although this does not seem to be strictly set in stone. Both countries have kept certain operational details of the agreement under wraps.
A spokesperson from the State Department did not immediately provide a comment in response to inquiries.
In earlier discussions this August, Rwandan officials also confirmed their agreement to accept individuals from the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. Rwanda, which borders Uganda, will take in up to 250 migrants under their agreement.
Yolande Makoro, a government spokesperson, stated, “Under the agreement, Rwanda has the capacity to approve each individual who seeks resettlement.” Those who are approved will receive workforce training, healthcare, and housing support to help them settle and contribute to Rwanda’s rapidly growing economy.
When he took office, President Trump pledged to implement the most extensive deportation campaign in American history. Since then, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has significantly elevated the number of arrests and removals compared to the Biden era, leading to the detention of tens of thousands of foreign nationals.
To enhance this crackdown, the Trump administration has opened more immigration detention centers across the nation and forged major agreements with foreign governments. Earlier this year, the White House signed a contract with El Salvador to facilitate the deportation of individuals to countries like South Sudan and Panama.
