Rwanda drew international attention, and some outrage, by agreeing to take in Britain’s rejected asylum-seekers in a plan that collapsed last year. Now Rwanda says it is talking with the Trump administration about a similar idea – and it might find more success.
The negotiations mark an expansion in U.S. efforts to deport people to countries other than their own. It has sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama but has yet to announce any major deals with governments in Africa, Asia or Europe.
Rwanda has long stood out on the continent for its recovery from the genocide that killed over 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994, as it has promoted itself under longtime President Paul Kagame as an oasis of stability. But human rights groups allege that the veneer of order has a painful price, with sometimes deadly crackdowns on perceived dissent.
Rwanda has argued that despite being one of Africa’s most densely populated countries, it has space to help alleviate what many countries in Europe – and the United States – consider to be a growing problem with unwanted migrants.
What’s been said so far
Rwanda’s foreign minister confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday that talks were under way with the U.S. about a potential agreement to host deported migrants, after telling state media the talks were in the “early stage.” Olivier Nduhungirehe did not give details but said it was consistent with Rwanda’s long-standing commitment to the pursuit of migration solutions.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment on a potential deal, but said engagement with foreign governments is an important part of the U.S. government’s policy to deter illegal migration.
Local media reports in Rwanda have suggested the U.S. likely would fund a program to have migrants integrated into society through stipends and job assistance initiatives.
The failed Rwanda-Britain deal
The U.K. struck a deal with Rwanda in 2022 to send migrants who arrive in the U.K. as stowaways or in boats to the East African country, where their asylum claims would be processed and, if successful, they would stay.
The plan was stalled by legal challenges and criticized by human rights groups, who called it unethical to deport migrants to a country 4,000 miles (6,400 miles) away that they don’t want to live in.
The plan collapsed last year after the new Labour government took charge. The U.K.’s new home secretary called the plan the “most shocking waste of taxpayer money I have ever seen” and estimated the cost at 700 million pounds ($904 million) in public funds.
No flights to Rwanda took off under the plan, but the U.K. government said the failed plan’s costs included 290 million pounds in payments to Rwanda. Rwanda has said it was not obligated to refund the money.
Human rights concerns
Human rights advocates have long raised concerns over the deaths in Rwandan custody of some perceived government critics, as well as the alleged killings of others who sought exile in places like South Africa. Rwanda at times has responded with angry denials to reports documenting human rights abuses – including the abduction and imprisonment of a U.S. resident who was tricked onto a Kigali-bound aircraft while visiting Dubai. He was later freed after Biden administration pressure.
Rwanda is also criticized over its aggressive military actions in the region. United Nations experts have documented Rwandan support for the rebel uprising that this year seized two cities in neighboring eastern Congo, an area rich in mineral wealth. The unrest led to fears of a resurgence of regional war, and a number of Western countries cut relations or restricted aid. Rwanda has said it is defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo.
The Trump administration, which sanctioned a Rwandan government minister and cited links to the rebels, is trying to broker a peace deal. Agreeing to take in deportees from the U.S. could improve Rwanda’s standing with Washington and others.
Rwanda’s history with migrants
Rwanda in 2019 struck a deal with the U.N. refugee agency to help take in migrants removed from Libya, where many people trying to reach Europe have reported abuses in detention. The U.N. says the transit center in Rwanda has capacity for 700 evacuees. Late last year, it said over 2,400 people had been assisted in what is meant to be a temporary stay during efforts to find “long-term solutions” including resettlement elsewhere.
Before its deal with Britain collapsed, Rwanda showed off another transit center, a refurbished hostel in Kigali, that could host 100 people, with more accommodations made available as needed.
Rwanda said migrants would have their papers processed within three months. People could stay or authorities would assist those who wished to return to their home countries. Rwanda said it would bear full financial responsibilities for five years.
It is not clear whether such terms would be part of a deal with the United States.
