Rwanda Confirms Early Talks with US Over Receiving Deported Migrants
Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, speaks during a Declaration of Principles signing ceremony with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, Friday, April 25, 2025, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Rwanda has confirmed that it’s in the early stages of discussions with the United States about potentially accepting migrants deported from America. The news came directly from Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe during an interview on national television on Sunday night.
This move aligns with Rwanda’s ongoing strategy of positioning itself as a receiving country for migrants rejected by Western nations. Over the past few years, the East African country has made headlines for signing similar deals—most notably with the United Kingdom in 2022. That agreement, however, was later canceled by the new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“We are in discussions with the United States,” Nduhungirehe confirmed during his appearance on Rwanda TV. “It’s too early to say exactly how this will take shape, but the conversations are happening.”
The US government has recently stepped up efforts to remove undocumented immigrants and non-citizens, which may be driving the talks with Kigali. But the discussions have raised some concerns.
Human rights organizations and the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) have warned that Rwanda’s human rights record may put some deported individuals at risk—especially if they end up being sent back to the countries they originally fled. Kigali has strongly denied these accusations, dismissing the UNHCR’s claims as false.
Just last month, the US deported an Iraqi refugee to Rwanda, after years of trying to extradite him based on allegations he was linked to ISIS. And in a separate case, the US Supreme Court temporarily blocked a group deportation of Venezuelan migrants accused of gang involvement, highlighting the growing legal tensions around America’s deportation policies.
While the Rwanda-US talks are still in the early phases, the development is likely to spark more debate around the ethics and implications of outsourcing immigration enforcement to third-party nations.
