Rwanda to accept hundreds of migrant deportees in bid to 'strengthen relations' with US

Rwandan leaders said Tuesday the country would accept 250 deportees from the United States as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on illegal immigration. 

“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,” Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press.

A White House official said the deal is an opportunity to remain “constantly engaged in diplomatic conversations with foreign nations who are willing to assist us in removing the illegal aliens,” which has remained a top objective for President Trump since he entered the Oval Office in January. 

The agreement with Rwanda was originally signed in June, and officials have already identified 10 people to be vetted for removal, Reuters reported.

Since the start of President Trump’s second administration, migrants have been deported to multiple third-party countries, including Eswatini, Djibouti and South Sudan.

Others were sent to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, where inmates have alleged human rights violations are occurring.  

Immigrant advocates have raised concerns with U.S. deportees being removed to Rwanda amid their ongoing conflict with Congo. 

Trump has been involved in conversations to end that conflict and announced that his administration brokered a peace deal between the two countries in June. But leaders urged the president to “stay committed” to enforcing the agreement not long after it was adopted. 

Some say Rwanda’s new deal to receive immigrants will deepen its ties to Washington.

“This agreement enhances Rwanda’s strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration,” Gonzaga Muganwa, a Rwandan political analyst, told AP.

He said, “appeasing President Trump pays.”

Rwanda was globally spotlighted in 1994 after a genocidal conflict left 800,000 dead in the country. Decades later, its leaders agreed to begin accepting deportees from Europe in 2017 and the United Kingdom in 2022.

The U.K. agreement went sour after Prime Minister Keir Starmer was elected and legal challenges were brought against the policy. The shift cost the country’s government around $900 million in public money, including approximately $300 million in payments to Rwanda per the AP.