Rwanda has confirmed it is in preliminary talks with the Trump administration over a potential agreement to receive immigrants deported from the United States, as Washington ramps up efforts to remove noncitizens under controversial new immigration policies.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told Rwanda TV on Sunday that discussions were underway but had not yet progressed to a formal agreement. “It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing,” he said, according to Reuters. The revelation comes amid a wave of high-profile deportations from the U.S., including the April expulsion of an Iraqi man accused of ties to ISIS, who was sent to Rwanda. The move signals Rwanda’s continued effort to position itself as a strategic partner for Western nations seeking offshore solutions to immigration and asylum challenges.
U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to launch what he calls the “largest deportation operation in American history,” invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to bypass due process for noncitizens deemed security threats. Over 250 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men have reportedly been deported in recent months to facilities in El Salvador, amid allegations of gang affiliations. According to CNN, U.S. officials are exploring deportation partnerships with Rwanda and Libya, particularly for migrants with criminal records or those denied asylum. The campaign has drawn legal challenges in American courts, as well as criticism from human rights organizations over the targeting of student activists and lawful immigrants.
Rwanda has prior experience in this domain. In 2022, it signed a deal with the United Kingdom to accept thousands of asylum seekers. That arrangement was later halted after British and European courts cited human rights concerns. Despite Rwanda’s denial of any wrongdoing, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that asylum seekers risk being returned to the countries they fled, violating international protections.
In 2024, the UK officially scrapped the policy under new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who cited exorbitant costs and minimal impact. According to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the UK had spent £700 million (approximately €821 million) with only four voluntary transfers to Rwanda. The new U.S.-Rwanda talks are expected to face similar international scrutiny, with analysts warning of potential human rights implications and reputational risks for Kigali. Nevertheless, Rwanda continues to promote itself as a dependable partner in global migration management, despite the political and legal hurdles such agreements have faced elsewhere.
