The government of Rwanda has confirmed a new agreement to receive up to 250 migrants from the United States as part of a third-country deportation initiative being pushed by Washington.
Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo announced the deal on Tuesday, stating that Kigali reserves the right to approve each individual proposed for resettlement. However, no specific timeline or criteria for the migrants’ selection was disclosed.
“Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants,” Makolo said. “The government will provide more details once these have been worked out.”
The deal comes amid the Trump administration’s renewed efforts to find partner countries for deported migrants, a policy that has stirred controversy both domestically and internationally.
The U.S. has reportedly engaged other nations like South Sudan and Eswatini in similar arrangements.
This development follows the cancellation of a separate, much-debated agreement between Rwanda and the United Kingdom, which would have sent asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda. That deal was scrapped after the British government that brokered it lost the 2024 general election.
While the specifics of the U.S. deal remain under wraps, analysts say the move is consistent with Kigali’s history of accepting migrants as part of international partnerships.
