Rwanda's foreign minister has confirmed that less than a year after similar plans to Britain came down, his country has held discussions to receive immigrants deported from the United States.
Olivier Nduhungirehe told state broadcaster Olivier Nduhungirehe to state broadcaster Olivier Nduhungirehe told state broadcaster Olivier Nduhungirehe that we are not yet at the stage where we can tell exactly how things go. “It’s still in its early stages.”
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that with President Donald Trump's administration, he is looking for more countries to embrace the people to deport immigrants without documents and other non-citizens into the United States.
“We are working with other countries, ‘We want to send you some of the meanest humans. The further away from the United States, the better so that they can’t cross the border.
Rwanda confirmed the negotiations after U.S. media quoted officials from both countries as saying they were discussing the plan. The United States also reportedly sees Libya as another destination.
The report said the U.S. hopes to pay Rwanda immigrants with criminal records that have served their sentences and incorporate them into society along with allowances and work aid to prevent them from returning to the U.S.
According to multiple citations by officials and documents, the Trump administration deported Iraqi nationals to Rwanda in a transfer that could serve as a model for the future.
The effort is in line with Trump’s crackdown on immigration, which began immediately after taking office for the second four-year period in January.
His government has been facing a legal battle when he tries to continue sending alleged gang members to the highest security prison in El Salvador.
Trump said last month that in the illegal deportation of El Salvadorian citizens living in Maryland, Trump said last month that he also wanted to deport "hometown criminals" to the country, meaning U.S. citizens. He also directed a detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to accommodate up to 30,000 people he called "the worst criminal."
In an interview aired Sunday, Trump said he “don’t know” whether American people have the right to due process rights assured by the country’s constitution.
Rwanda and the U.S. governments have not formally confirmed any details of their talks, but if an agreement is reached, it will not be the first time Rwanda has accepted immigration fired from the West.
The country has reached an agreement with the UK to accept immigrants expelled by the British government, but the scheme faces many legal challenges and is considered illegal by the UK Supreme Court in a November 2023 ruling.
The Labour government, which was finally elected at the time, canceled the deal in July, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer marked it as a "head". Rwanda is still seeking payments of £50 million ($66 million) from the UK by canceling the deal.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned that some people sent to Rwanda can return to the countries they fled to and may face dangers including death.
Rwanda denied the allegations and accused UNHCR of lying.