Uganda has reached an agreement with the United States to accept nationals from third countries who may not qualify for asylum in the U.S. but are hesitant to return to their home countries, as stated by the foreign affairs ministry on Thursday, August 21.
President Donald Trump is focused on deporting millions of immigrants who entered the U.S. unlawfully, and his administration has been working to increase removals to third countries, including the transfer of convicted criminals to South Sudan and Eswatini.
"This is a temporary arrangement with stipulations, including that individuals with criminal histories and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted," said Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, the ministry's permanent secretary, in a statement.
Waiswa further mentioned that Uganda would prefer to accept individuals from African nationalities under this agreement.
"The two parties are currently finalizing the specific details on how the agreement will be executed," he added.
On Wednesday, another Ugandan foreign affairs official refuted a U.S. media report claiming that the East African nation had consented to accept individuals deported from the United States, asserting that it does not have the capacity to accommodate them.
As a U.S. ally in East Africa, Uganda also hosts nearly two million refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily from neighboring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan.
In July, five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen, and Cuba, who Washington indicated had been convicted of serious offenses, were transported to Eswatini, where they are currently held in a high-security prison. These deportations are being contested by a coalition of Swazi and southern African NGOs, with a high court hearing set for Friday.Additionally, in July, eight men from various nations were deported by the U.S. to South Sudan, via Djibouti, where they were detained for weeks in a shipping container. Meanwhile, over 250 Venezuelans were sent back to Venezuela after being placed in a notorious prison in El Salvador in March without due process.