What will Uganda gain from accepting US deportees?

Uganda is the latest of respective countries to onslaught a deportation woody with the United States arsenic President Donald Trump ramps up arguable efforts to region migrants from the country.

In a connection connected Thursday, Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Kampala had agreed for Washington to nonstop implicit third-country nationals who look deportation from the US, but are unwilling to instrumentality to their location countries. The ministry said that the statement was made nether definite conditions.

Rights groups and instrumentality experts person condemned Trump’s arguable plans to deport millions of undocumented migrants. Those already deported see convicted criminals and “uniquely barbaric monsters,” according to the White House.

African countries, specified arsenic Eswatini, formerly known arsenic Swaziland, person accepted akin deals, reportedly successful speech for little tariffs. The US’s actions are exploitative and tantamount to treating the continent arsenic a “dumping ground,” Melusi Simelane of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) told Al Jazeera, adding that Washington was particularly focusing connected countries with anemic quality rights protection.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir the Uganda woody and what countries mightiness beryllium getting successful instrumentality for hosting US deportees:

What did Uganda hold to?

In a connection posted connected X connected Thursday, Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, the imperishable caput of Uganda’s Foreign Ministry, said the state had agreed to a “temporary arrangement” with the US. He did not authorities the timelines for erstwhile the deportations would statesman oregon end.

There are caveats regarding the radical who would beryllium transferred, the connection continued, including that Uganda volition not judge radical with transgression records oregon unaccompanied minors and that it “prefers” that Africans beryllium transferred arsenic portion of the deal.

“The 2 parties are moving retired the elaborate modalities connected however the statement shall beryllium implemented,” the connection added.

A US State Department connection confirmed that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had held discussions implicit the telephone regarding “migration, reciprocal trade, and commercialized ties”.

The deal’s announcement came aft weeks of speculation successful section Ugandan media regarding whether the East African federation would judge US deportees.

On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Henry Okello Oryem denied the media reports, saying Uganda did not person the facilities to accommodate deportees.

Speaking to The Associated Press quality agency, Oryem said Uganda was discussing issues of “visas, tariffs, sanctions and related issues” with the US, but not of migration.

“We are talking astir cartels: radical who are unwanted successful their ain countries. How tin we integrate them into section communities successful Uganda?” helium told the AP.

A time later, Uganda’s communicative had flipped.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni gestures arsenic helium speaks to the media astatine a associated briefing with Kenyan President William Ruto (unseen) astatine the State House during his two-day authorities sojourn successful Nairobi connected May 16, 2024 [Simon Maina/AFP]

What mightiness Uganda summation from this?

The Foreign Ministry’s connection connected Thursday did not authorities what Uganda mightiness beryllium getting successful return.

Other countries, including Eswatini, person reportedly accepted deportees successful speech for little tariffs.

Uganda has been deed with 15 percent tariffs connected goods entering the US, arsenic portion of Trump’s reciprocal tariff wars. Senior authorities officials successful aboriginal August told section media that the tariffs would disrupt Ugandan exports, particularly successful the cultivation sector, and that Kampala would participate negotiations for a amended deal.

Coffee, vanilla, cocoa beans and petroleum products are immoderate of Uganda’s cardinal exports to the US. Kampala is peculiarly keen connected boosting java exports to the US and competing with bigger suppliers similar Colombia. The US, connected the different hand, exports machinery, specified arsenic craft parts, to Uganda, which imposes an 18 percent tariff connected imported products.

The US and Uganda person historically enjoyed affable ties, with the US routinely sending assistance to Kampala. However, aft Uganda passed an anti-homosexuality measure into instrumentality successful 2023, relations turned sour, and the US accused Uganda of “human rights violations”. The instrumentality proscribes punishment, including beingness sentences, for same-sex relations.

Washington thereafter chopped assistance backing for HIV programs and issued visa restrictions connected Ugandan authorities officials “complicit successful undermining the antiauthoritarian process.” The US besides banned Uganda from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a commercialized programme that helped African countries commercialized tariff-free with the US, but that Trump’s tariffs person efficaciously killed.

The World Bank additionally banned Uganda from its loans for 2 years, though the regularisation was lifted this June.

Rights activists accidental the woody connected deportees could marque the US medication much favourably inclined towards Uganda, but astatine the disbursal of those deported.

“The projected woody runs afoul of planetary law,” quality rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo told the AP. He added that specified an statement leaves the ineligible presumption of deportees unclear arsenic to whether they are refugees oregon prisoners.

“We are sacrificing quality beings for governmental expediency; successful this case, due to the fact that Uganda wants to beryllium successful the bully books of the United States,” Opiyo said.“That I tin support your prisoners if you wage me; however is that antithetic from quality trafficking?”

Does Uganda already big refugees?

Yes, Uganda is Africa’s largest exile big country. It already hosts immoderate 1.7 cardinal refugees, mostly from neighbouring South Sudan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are each dealing with equipped struggle and unrest.

The United Nations has, successful the past, hailed the state arsenic having a “progressive exile policy” and “maintaining an open-door attack to asylum”.

However, absorption activists are sounding the alarm implicit the government’s dismal quality rights record. Uganda has been ruled by Museveni since 1986, with his enactment winning contested elections successful landslides. Opposition members and journalists are often targeted successful arrests. Some study being tortured successful detention.

Speaking to the AP, absorption lawmaker Muwada Nkunyingi said the US woody could springiness Museveni’s authorities further Western legitimacy up of wide elections scheduled for January 2026.

The woody was struck to “clear their representation present that we are heading into the 2026 elections,” Nkunyingi said. He urged the US not to disregard what helium described arsenic quality rights issues successful Uganda.

Jasmin Ramirez holds a photograph of her son, Angelo Escalona, astatine a government-organised rally protesting against the deportation of alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, who were transferred to an El Salvador prison, successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected Tuesday, March 18, 2025 [Ariana Cubillos/AP]

What different countries has the US sent radical to?

Eswatini, Rwanda and South Sudan person struck akin agreements with the US.

Eswatini, successful July, accepted 5 unnamed men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen.

Tricia McLaughlin, Department for Homeland Security adjunct secretary, described them arsenic “individuals truthful uniquely barbaric that their location countries refused to instrumentality them back”. She added that they were convicted of offences ranging from kid rape to murder, and faced up to 25 years successful jail. The men are presently held successful detention facilities and volition beryllium sent backmost to their countries, according to officials who did not authorities a timeline.

Activists impeach the Eswatini authorities of engaging successful the woody successful speech for little tariffs from the US. The tiny country, which exports apparel, fruits, nuts and earthy sweetener to the US, was deed with a 10 percent tariff.

“No state should person to beryllium engaged successful the usurpation of planetary quality rights laws, including breaching its home laws, to delight the Global North successful the sanction of trade,” Simulane of SALC, who is starring an ongoing tribunal lawsuit challenging the Eswatini government’s decision, told Al Jazeera. The move, helium said, was against the country’s constitution, which mandates that planetary agreements walk done parliament.

“What we want, astatine the core, is for the statement to beryllium published for nationalist scrutiny, and for the nationalist to recognize (if) it so is successful enactment with our nationalist interest,” Simulane said. “We further privation the statement declared unconstitutional due to the fact that it lacked parliamentary approval.”

South Africa, which borders Eswatini connected 3 sides, summoned the smaller country’s diplomats earlier successful August to rise information concerns astir the arrangement.

Similarly, the US sent 8 “barbaric” criminals to South Sudan successful July. The DHS listed them arsenic being from Cuba, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico and South Sudan. They were convicted of crimes specified arsenic first-degree murder, robbery, cause trafficking, and intersexual assault, the DHS said.

The men were initially diverted to Djibouti for months pending a ineligible situation successful the US. However, successful precocious June, the US Supreme Court approved the determination to South Sudan.

Rwanda, too, has confirmed that it volition instrumentality 250 deportees from the US astatine an unnamed date. According to authorities spokesperson Yolande Makolo, the deportees volition bask “workforce training, wellness attraction and accommodation”. The state antecedently struck a arguable migrant woody for a interest with the United Kingdom. That deal, however, fell through erstwhile the caller Labour authorities was elected successful the UK successful 2024.

Outside Africa, El Salvador has taken successful 300 migrants, chiefly from Venezuela, for a $6m fee.

Costa Rica accepted 200 asylum seekers from Afghanistan, China, Ghana, India and Vietnam. While galore person been repatriated, immoderate 28 radical were inactive successful detention by June. It is unclear what the US offered successful return.

Nearly 300 radical from countries similar Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and China were sent to Panama successful February.