Uganda has reached an agreement with the United States to host migrants from third countries who are denied asylum in the U.S. but are unwilling to return to their homelands, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday, August 21.
The deal comes as President Donald Trump pursues plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, with his administration increasingly seeking to resettle deportees in third countries. Recent removals have included convicted foreign nationals sent to South Sudan and Eswatini.
According to Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, the arrangement is temporary and subject to conditions. “Individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted,” he said, noting that Uganda would prefer to receive migrants of African origin under the deal.
He added that both governments are still working out the implementation details.
The announcement followed earlier denials by Ugandan officials, who said the country lacked facilities to accommodate large numbers of deportees. Uganda, however, is already one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting nations, with nearly two million asylum seekers, mainly from South Sudan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The U.S. has recently faced criticism over controversial deportation practices. In July, five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen, and Cuba — all convicted of serious crimes — were flown to Eswatini, where they remain in a high-security prison. The move is being challenged in court by local NGOs.
That same month, eight men from various countries were deported to South Sudan, reportedly held for weeks in a shipping container in Djibouti before being transferred. Separately, more than 250 Venezuelans were repatriated after being sent to an El Salvador prison in March without due process.
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