Rwanda has confirmed that preliminary discussions are underway with the United States regarding the possible transfer of deported migrants, according to a televised statement by Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe on Sunday, May 4, 2025.
In recent years, Rwanda has presented itself as a host nation for migrants that Western governments seek to relocate, despite continued criticism from international human rights organizations. These groups have raised concerns about Kigali’s treatment of migrants, alleging violations of key protections.
The country previously signed a controversial agreement with the United Kingdom in 2022 to accept thousands of asylum seekers. However, that deal was later canceled in 2024 by newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“We are in discussions with the United States,” Nduhungirehe said in an interview with the state broadcaster Rwanda TV.
“It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing…still in the early stages.”
The development comes amid a renewed push by the Trump administration to curb immigration. Since the start of President Trump’s second term in January, the administration has intensified efforts to deport undocumented immigrants and other non-citizens. It also attempted to halt the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed alarm that some migrants sent to Rwanda could face the risk of refoulement—being returned to countries they fled from. Rwanda, however, has strongly denied those claims, accusing the UN agency of misrepresenting the facts.
In a recent case, U.S. authorities deported an Iraqi refugee who had previously been resettled in the U.S. to Rwanda, following Iraq’s allegations that the individual was affiliated with the Islamic State. The move was confirmed by a U.S. official and corroborated through an internal communication.
Additionally, in April, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary block on the administration’s efforts to deport a group of Venezuelan migrants it alleged were gang members. The deportations had been pursued under a rarely invoked wartime statute.
