Keypoints:
- Uganda receives 12 deportees from US
- Legal challenge launched over process
- Deal expands US third-country deportations
UGANDA has received 12 deportees from the United States, marking the first transfer under a controversial migration agreement that allows Washington to send migrants to third countries, according to Reuters.
The group arrived early Thursday at Entebbe International Airport, the Uganda Law Society said, criticising the process and signalling plans to challenge it in court. The development underscores a growing shift in global migration policy, with African states increasingly drawn into Western deportation frameworks.
First test of US–Uganda migration pact
The arrivals represent the first implementation of a Safe Third Country Agreement signed between Kampala and Washington in August. The deal permits the United States to deport individuals who cannot be returned to their countries of origin.
Uganda’s position on such arrangements has evolved in recent months. Officials initially rejected reports that the country would accept deportees, citing capacity constraints, before later confirming a conditional and temporary agreement with Washington, as outlined in Africa Briefing’s earlier report on Uganda’s rejection of US deportation plans and subsequent coverage of the signed asylum deal.
A senior Ugandan government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the latest arrivals and said the deportees would remain in Uganda during a ‘transition phase’ before possible relocation elsewhere.
Their nationalities remain unclear, raising questions about transparency and oversight. The agreement reflects a broader policy shift under President Donald Trump, expanding deportations beyond traditional bilateral returns and signalling a more aggressive use of third-country arrangements in US migration strategy.
US defends coordinated transfers
Officials at the US Embassy in Kampala defended the arrangement as a cooperative diplomatic effort.
Yasmeen Hibrawi, public affairs counsellor at the embassy, said all transfers under the agreement were conducted ‘in full cooperation with the Government of Uganda’. She declined to provide further details, citing privacy concerns and the confidentiality of diplomatic communications.
Uganda’s foreign ministry has yet to issue an official response.
Legal challenge and rights concerns
The Uganda Law Society condemned the deportation process as ‘undignified, harrowing and dehumanising’, warning it could violate both domestic and international legal standards.
The organisation said it would challenge the legality of the agreement in court, potentially setting a precedent for how such arrangements are handled across the continent.
Human rights advocates have long criticised third-country deportations, arguing they risk transferring vulnerable individuals to unfamiliar environments where they lack legal protections, community ties or support systems.
Analysts say the policy reflects a broader attempt by Washington to manage asylum backlogs externally, shifting responsibility onto partner countries with fewer resources and more fragile legal frameworks.
Africa’s growing role in US deportations
Uganda joins a small but expanding group of African countries accepting deportees from the United States, including Ghana, South Sudan, Cameroon and Eswatini. Recent developments in Ghana’s plans to host additional US deportees further highlight the regional scope of the policy.
Kampala has previously indicated it will not accept individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors, and has suggested a preference for deportees of African descent—conditions tied to the original agreement.
This trend highlights a widening geopolitical role for Africa in global migration control systems, as Western governments increasingly turn to third-country agreements to manage domestic political and legal pressures over immigration.
Pressure on Uganda’s refugee system
Uganda already hosts nearly 2 million refugees, primarily from conflict-hit South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, making it one of the largest refugee-hosting nations globally.
That status has made the country both a critical humanitarian hub and a vulnerable pressure point. Analysts warn that accepting additional deportees—particularly those without clear legal status—could strain housing, public services and administrative capacity.
The issue is especially sensitive given existing funding gaps in refugee support programmes and the growing number of displaced people across the region. As a result, Uganda’s involvement in third-country deportation arrangements is likely to remain politically and legally contentious.
As legal challenges loom and further transfers are expected, Uganda’s role in the evolving global deportation system is set to face intensified scrutiny both domestically and internationally.
