Rwanda has quietly accepted seven migrants deported under the Trump administration’s expanding program to send people to countries with which they have no ties, a government spokesperson confirmed Thursday. Yolande Makolo said the group arrived earlier this month, although no public announcement was made at the time.
Authorities have not disclosed the identities, nationalities, or locations of the deportees, nor have they indicated whether any of them have criminal records.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump‘s administration is carrying out plans to conduct widespread deportations of undocumented immigrants. The White House has said anyone living in the United States illegally is a criminal.
What To Know
According to Makolo, the deportees are receiving visits from United Nations officials and Rwandan social services. Three of them have expressed a desire to return to their countries of origin, while the other four “wish to stay and build lives in Rwanda.”
Rwanda is the third African nation, after South Sudan and Eswatini, to accept deportees under secretive arrangements with Washington. The Rwandan government had signaled in early August that it was prepared to take in migrants as part of the deal. In early August, Rwanda announced it would take in up to 250 deportees but did not specify when the first group would arrive.
Meanwhile, Uganda said it had agreed to a “temporary” deal with the Trump administration to take in migrants removed from the U.S., with certain conditions around criminals and unaccompanied minors.
The U.S. has indicated plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has drawn attention, to Uganda.
Like other countries participating in the program, Uganda has not disclosed the terms of its arrangement with the U.S. or any potential benefits it may receive from accepting deportees. African nations may receive various incentives for cooperating and strengthening ties with the Trump administration, according to the AP.
David J. Phillip/AP
In July, the U.S. deported eight men to South Sudan, including individuals from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, and Vietnam, after a legal challenge temporarily delayed their removal. During that period, they were housed for several weeks in a converted shipping container at a U.S. military base in nearby Djibouti.
U.S. officials said the men had prior convictions for violent crimes.
South Sudan’s government stated it would ensure the men’s “safety and wellbeing” but has not provided details on their current location or future status.
Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has faced ongoing conflict and is considered at risk of descending into civil war once again.
Two weeks after the deportations to South Sudan, the U.S. confirmed it had sent five additional men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to the small southern African nation of Eswatini.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security characterized them as violent offenders whose home countries had declined to accept their return.
Eswatini’s government stated the men would be held in solitary confinement pending repatriation, which officials later suggested could take up to a year.
What Happens Next
More African nations could sign up to facilitate deportations as a third country as the administration looks to carry out hard-line deportation plans.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 8/28/25, 12:30 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
