Rwanda announced on Sunday that it is holding talks with the Trump administration on a possible deal to receive immigrants deported from the United States.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told the state broadcaster Rwanda TV that discussions were “in the early stages”, according to Reuters.
“It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing”, Nduhungirehe said.
The announcement came after multiple news reports that the US is looking for international partners to deport people.
In April, the US already deported to Rwanda an Iraqi man accused of working for ISIS, according to Reuters.
American president Donald Trump has vowed to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in US history. More than 250 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men have been deported to a prison in El Salvador in recent months, over their alleged involvement in gangs.
Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify these deportations. The law gives the president wartime powers and allows noncitizens to be deported without due process.
The Trump administration is also targeting student activists and legal immigrants. This expulsion campaign is facing legal challenges from American federal courts.
CNN reported that the US is considering sending migrants with criminal records to Rwanda and Libya.
In recent years, Rwanda has tried to position itself as a destination for Western countries to deport unwanted migrants. Kigali signed an agreement with the United Kingdom in 2022 to take in thousands of asylum seekers.
The deal fell through after British and European courts stopped scheduled flights on human rights grounds.
The United Nations refugee agency warned there was a risk some migrants sent to Rwanda could be returned to the countries they had fled. Kigali has denied this claim.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer permanently scrapped the deal after he took office in 2024. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the scheme cost the UK £700 million (about €821 million) with just “four volunteers” being sent to Rwanda.
