Rwanda Agrees to Take 250 U.S. Deportees Under New Immigration Pact

The United States has signed a deal with Rwanda to deport up to 250 migrants for resettlement, offering financial support while facing criticism from rights groups over potential risks to deportees.

The United States and Rwanda have entered into a new immigration agreement allowing up to 250 migrants deported from the U.S. to be resettled in the East African country, in a move that has sparked concern among human rights advocates.

The deal, signed in Kigali in June, permits Rwandan authorities to vet each deportee individually before accepting them. Those approved under the arrangement will be provided with workforce training, healthcare services, and housing support, to help integrate them into one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies. According to Rwandan officials, the United States will offer a grant to fund the resettlement initiative, though the exact financial details remain undisclosed.

Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said Rwanda’s own experience with displacement and reintegration had shaped its decision to support the programme. “Nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation,” she said.

However, the Rwandan government has made it clear that it will not accept migrants who are currently serving prison terms or have ongoing criminal cases. Notably, individuals convicted of child sex offences will also be excluded from the programme.

The deal forms part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to increase third-country deportations, including sending convicted criminals to nations such as South Sudan and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). The policy has been framed by U.S. immigration hardliners as a means of swiftly removing migrants deemed ineligible to remain in the country, especially those with criminal convictions.

Critics argue, however, that such arrangements risk placing vulnerable individuals in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environments. “This policy puts deportees at risk, especially when they have no family, cultural ties, or language familiarity with the receiving country,” said a representative from a U.S.-based refugee rights organisation.

The agreement with Rwanda mirrors a similar but ultimately unsuccessful deal signed between Kigali and the United Kingdom in 2022, under which asylum seekers arriving in the UK were to be sent to Rwanda. That agreement was later scrapped in 2024 after widespread legal and political challenges.

Despite praise from Western and regional leaders for Rwanda’s post-genocide transformation under President Paul Kagame, rights groups have frequently raised concerns over the country’s record on civil liberties and political repression. Nonetheless, Rwanda has continued to present itself as a reliable partner in international efforts on migration and regional peace-building.

The U.S.-Rwanda deal also follows Kigali’s involvement in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo in June, which aims to end conflict in eastern DRC—a region that has witnessed mass displacement and violence.

As legal challenges mount in the U.S. over the legality of third-country deportations, including a high-profile case currently progressing through federal courts in Boston, the deal with Rwanda may yet face further scrutiny. Still, for now, both countries maintain that the agreement offers a humane and structured pathway for migrants unable to remain in the United States.