Uganda rejects criminals, unaccompanied minors in migration deal with US

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday confirmed it had entered a bilateral agreement with the United States (US) to take in nationals from third countries who may not get asylum in the US but are reluctant to return to their countries of origin.

Foreign affairs permanent secretary Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, however, said, “this is a temporary arrangement with conditions including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted.

Uganda also prefers that individuals from African countries shall be the ones transferred to Uganda. The two parties are working out the detailed modalities on how the agreement shall be implemented.”

Bagiire further stated that, “as part of the bilateral cooperation between Uganda and the USA, an Agreement for cooperation in the examination of protection requests was concluded.

The Agreement is in respect of third country nationals who may not be granted asylum in the United States but are reluctant to or may have concerns about returning to their countries of origin.”

Bagiire did not explain whether Uganda was receiving any payment or other benefits and how many deportees it would accept.

Uganda strikes deal with US to receive non-Ugandan deportees

Uganda’s move comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump's move to expel millions of immigrants who had travelled to the US to seek asylum.

In May this year, the US government offered migrants who are in the country illegally a sum worth $1,000 (sh3.7m) and paid travel if they decide to leave the US.

"Self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.

Those who take up the offer could one day be offered a legal pathway to return to the US, Trump would later tell the media.

In July this year, five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba, who Washington said had been convicted of serious crimes, were flown to Eswatini, where they are now in a high security prison.

The deportations are being challenged by a group of Swazi and southern African NGOs, with a high court hearing scheduled for Friday.

Also in July, eight men from various countries were deported by the US to South Sudan, via Djibouti, where they were held for weeks in a shipping container. Meanwhile, more than 250 Venezuelans were repatriated to Venezuela after being sent to a notorious El Salvador prison in March without due process.