Seven migrants deported from the United States have arrived in Rwanda, the first group in a planned transfer of up to 250 people under an agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration. Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo confirmed that the group landed in Kigali in mid-August. While their nationalities were not disclosed, she said four of them have chosen to remain in Rwanda, while three opted to return to their home countries.
The move comes as part of Trump’s renewed mass deportation policy, launched after he began his second term in January. At least a dozen countries have signed agreements to accept migrants removed from the US. Makolo insisted that Rwanda would provide “support and protection” for those received, noting they are currently accommodated by an international agency and monitored by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) alongside local social services.
Rights groups, however, have raised concerns that deporting migrants without proper safeguards could breach international law, especially if returnees face abuse, persecution, or torture. Rwanda, which endured a genocide in 1994 that displaced millions, has long positioned itself as a safe haven for migrants. Between 2019 and April 2025, it hosted nearly 3,000 asylum seekers evacuated from Libya under a deal with the UN and African Union. Many of those people were later resettled in other countries.
This is not Rwanda’s first controversial migration agreement. In 2022, it struck a £240 million ($310 million) deal with the UK to host asylum seekers, but that plan collapsed last year after Labour took power in London. Facilities built with British funds remain unused. It is unclear whether the US-Rwanda arrangement involves direct financial compensation. However, it comes shortly after Trump’s administration brokered a Washington peace deal in June between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Kigali has been accused—though it denies—backing the M23 rebel movement.
