In what is being described as the first wave of a controversial migration deal, seven migrants deported from the United States touched down in Rwanda this August. They are the first of up to 250 people expected to be relocated under an agreement sealed earlier this year between Kigali and Washington during the Trump administration.
Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, confirmed their arrival, noting that four of the deportees have chosen to remain in Rwanda, while three decided to return to their home countries. The group’s nationalities have not been disclosed.
Back in June, Rwanda signed a migration partnership with the United States, agreeing to take in up to 250 vetted deportees. The deal has raised eyebrows across the world, not least because it resembles the abandoned UK–Rwanda asylum plan.
Here’s what the agreement promises:
• Rwanda decides who stays — the government has full authority to accept or reject any deportee.
• Those accepted will receive housing, healthcare, and job training.
• A U.S. grant will cover the costs of hosting them (the exact figure hasn’t been made public).
• Deportees are not required to stay permanently—they can leave Rwanda if they choose.
• Strict rules apply: Rwanda will not accept people with pending criminal cases, those who haven’t finished their sentences, or convicted sex offenders.
Officially, Rwanda frames this as part of its values. As Makolo put it, “Nearly every Rwandan family has experienced displacement… Our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation.”
But beyond values, there’s strategy.
• Rwanda already has ready-made facilities—housing blocks originally built for Britain’s failed asylum deal.
• The U.S. package brings in financial aid, something every government finds hard to turn down.
• Hosting U.S. deportees boosts Rwanda’s diplomatic clout, especially after Washington recently brokered a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Not everyone is applauding. Rights groups warn that deporting people to third countries risks breaking international law, especially the principle of non-refoulement (which forbids sending people to places where they could face torture or abuse).
Critics also point out Rwanda’s own patchy rights record, from crackdowns on dissent to arbitrary detentions raising concerns about whether deportees will truly be safe and free to rebuild their lives.
Earlier U.S. deportations to South Sudan and Eswatini triggered similar alarms, with reports of detainees facing harsh conditions. Many fear Rwanda could become another test case with human lives hanging in the balance.
This deal sits at the crossroads of politics, money, and morality. For the U.S., it’s a way of outsourcing deportations and reducing its backlog. For Rwanda, it’s a chance to profit and polish its image. For the deportees themselves, however, it’s a gamble: resettlement in a faraway land, or a forced return to the very places they once fled.
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