Rwanda has confirmed it is holding early discussions with the United States about accepting migrants who are being deported. The country’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, said in a national television interview that the talks are still in the beginning stage and no final agreement has been reached yet.
This move comes as the United States continues a major crackdown on immigration. The US government is looking for international partners to help remove migrants, including visa holders, student activists, and people suspected of being gang members.
Former President Donald Trump recently stated that he plans to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history. In an interview aired on Sunday, he suggested he might not need to fully follow constitutional rules to remove what he called “some of the worst people on Earth.”
However, the US Supreme Court has ruled in several cases that all migrants have the right to basic due process. This means they must appear before immigration judges before being deported. Legal experts are concerned that some actions may violate these protections.
Despite Trump’s strong statements, official data shows that his administration deported fewer migrants in February than President Joe Biden did in the same month the previous year.
Rwanda has a record of working with Western countries on similar migration plans. In 2022, the country signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to receive deported foreign nationals and failed asylum seekers. But the UK-Rwanda deal was never fully carried out due to legal rulings from British and European courts, which blocked scheduled deportation flights over human rights concerns.
Many human rights organizations have raised issues with Rwanda’s long-term leadership under President Paul Kagame and the country’s reported involvement in conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These concerns have made some countries rethink sending migrants there.
After taking office, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer officially canceled the Rwanda deal, stating it cost the government around £700 million and led to just four deportations. He called the plan wasteful and ineffective.
Other countries, like Australia and Italy, have also adopted similar strategies by partnering with smaller nations to receive deported migrants. Australia uses Nauru, while Italy recently signed a deal with Albania.
As Rwanda continues talks with the US, many are watching to see whether this new migration deal will move forward or face the same legal and human rights challenges that have blocked previous efforts.