Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the country has reached a temporary arrangement with the United States to host nationals from third countries who are denied asylum in America but unwilling to return home.
The initiative forms part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s broader immigration strategy, which seeks to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. His administration has also considered relocating certain deportees, including convicted criminals, to countries such as South Sudan and Eswatini.
“This is a temporary arrangement with conditions including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted,” said Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, the ministry’s permanent secretary, in a statement.
He further explained that Uganda would give priority to receiving individuals of African origin under the deal. “The two parties are working out the detailed modalities on how the agreement shall be implemented,” Waiswa added.
The announcement came a day after another Ugandan foreign affairs official dismissed reports from U.S. media outlets that the country had consented to host deportees from America, arguing at the time that Uganda lacked the facilities to accommodate them.
Uganda, a key U.S. ally in East Africa, is already home to nearly two million refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from regional conflict zones including South Sudan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
