Rwanda’s government has agreed to accept 250 illegal migrants whose deportations are being rejected by their home countries.
“If Rwanda is willing to take them, great … mass deportations can continue,” said Rosemary Jenks, founder of the Immigration Accountability Project. “If the home countries won’t take their nationals back, then we need to be able to send them somewhere.”
NBC News reported the details of the so-called “Third Safe Country” deal:
The agreement, under which Rwanda would accept up to 250 migrants, was signed by U.S. and Rwandan officials in Kigali in June, said the Rwandan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that Washington had already sent an initial list of 10 people to be vetted.
The deal allows Rwanda to choose which migrants it will take, the report said:
“Under the agreement, Rwanda has the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement. Those approved will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade.”
In Trump’s first term, his deputies inked deals with multiple countries to take illegal migrants from China, Laos, India, and countries that block the return of migrants, many of whom are criminals. Those deals were quickly torpedoed by President Joe Biden’s pro-migration border chief, Alejandro Mayorkas.
Trump’s deputies are rebuilding the system, which will help deter the arrival of criminal migrants from so-called “recalcitrant countries” that refuse the return of their migrants. If criminal migrants are not returned, they must be released after their sentences are served, according to a 2001 Supreme Court decision.
The court decision allows foreign countries to demand concessions for accepting the return of their migrant criminals.
So far, Trump’s deputies have deported migrants to Panama, South Sudan, Eswatini, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. Officials are also negotiating with many additional countries to accept migrants.
Many of the deported migrants subsequently return to their home countries.
“The easiest solution is for countries to take back their own nationals,” said Jenks. “If they won’t do that, we have to find another way, and the law provides for that.”
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