First Group of US Deportees Arrive in Rwanda Under Trump’s Migration Deal With African States
As part of a Trump-era arrangement, seven deported US migrants have arrived in Rwanda, starting a transfer of 250 people. International deportation tactics have come under fresh scrutiny and rapid debate as a result of the move.
“The first group of seven vetted migrants arrived in Rwanda in mid-August,” said Yolande Makolo, a spokesman for the Rwandan government. Although Makolo did not reveal the deportees’ nationalities, he did state that three have decided to return to their home countries, while four will stay in Rwanda. The deportations have drawn criticism from rights organizations, who caution that such actions may violate international law if individuals are sent to countries where they face potential risks of torture or other forms of abuse. President Trump, since beginning his second term in January, has prioritized a large-scale deportation initiative aimed at removing undocumented migrants from the United States.
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To date, at least a dozen countries have agreed to accept deported migrants from other nations under similar arrangements. “Regardless of their specific needs, all of these individuals will receive appropriate support and protection from the Rwandan government,” Makolo assured Rwanda’s pro-government New Times news site. She added that the deportees are being accommodated by “an international organization” and will be visited by representatives from the International Organization on Migration (IOM) and Rwandan social services. An IOM spokesperson confirmed that the organization had met with the migrants to “assess their basic needs,” without providing further details.
Earlier this month, Makolo told the media that Rwanda was proceeding with the agreement because “nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement.” Rwanda, which endured a genocide in the mid-1990s, has expressed a commitment to extending assistance to other migrants, asserting its ability to provide a safe haven despite criticisms regarding its human rights record.
Under an agreement reached with the UN refugee agency and African Union six years ago, nearly 3,000 refugees and asylum seekers trapped in Libya were evacuated to Rwanda between September 2019 and April 2025. The UN reports that many of these individuals have subsequently been resettled elsewhere. Rwanda previously had an agreement with the UK, established with the Conservative government in 2022, to accept asylum seekers.
However, the UK scrapped the scheme, which had faced numerous legal challenges, after Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government assumed power in July of the previous year. The UK had already paid Rwanda £240 million ($310 million), even constructing housing facilities for the asylum seekers. The current status of these facilities remains unclear.
Whether there is a financial component to Rwanda’s most recent agreement with the US is also unknown. In June, the Trump administration oversaw the signing of a peace accord in Washington between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, part of an ongoing peace process seeking to resolve three decades of regional instability. Kigali has faced accusations of supporting the M23 rebel group involved in the conflict in neighboring DR Congo, allegations that it has consistently denied.
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