


Rwanda said it would accept up to 250 deportees from the United States, the third African country to do so.
The Trump administration has spearheaded a unique strategy of deporting illegal immigrants accused of serious criminal offenses to third countries with which they have no connection. This began with deportations to El Salvador, and expanded to Costa Rica, Panama, Eswatini, and South Sudan. Rwanda confirmed on Tuesday that it would become the next country to accept deportees from the U.S.
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“Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants, in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation,” Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said.
She added that the agreement was reached in June. Under the agreement, the capital of Rwanda, Kigali, will be able to approve the deportees on a case-by-case basis.
The U.S. has typically only sent illegal immigrants to third countries that it deems particularly dangerous. However, officials told the Sunday Times that as part of the agreement with Rwanda, it will only accept those who have completed their prison terms and aren’t child sex offenders. Kigali will also be compensated for an unstated amount.
“Those approved will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jump-start their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade,” Makolo said.
The deal has already undergone a trial run, with Rwanda accepting a handful of deportees, including an Iraqi national.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.
Last month, the U.S. sent five citizens from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, deemed “uniquely barbaric,” to a prison in Eswatini, a small African country of just over a million residents. They were sent to solitary confinement within the country.
The Supreme Court cleared the Trump administration to send illegal immigrants to third countries temporarily on June 23.
Though only a relatively small number of illegal immigrants have been sent to third countries, too few to make a serious, tangible impact, the threat of deportation to an unfamiliar country is part of the Trump administration’s wider strategy of deterrence. The hope is that the prospect will prompt illegal immigrants to either self-deport or not come to the U.S. in the first place.
RWANDA AND THE CONGO SIGN US-BROKERED PEACE DEAL TO END 21ST CENTURY’S BLOODIEST CONFLICT
The United Kingdom previously struck a deal with Kigali to accept substantial numbers of illegal immigrants, but the deal collapsed after the U.K.’s ruling party switched to Labour.
The date of the deal between the U.S. and Rwanda is unknown, but it notably occurred the same month that Washington struck a peace agreement between Rwanda and its longtime foe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The foreign ministers of each nation met in the Oval Office to celebrate the ceasefire, which aims to end the 21st century’s bloodiest conflict.