Uganda has entered into a new agreement with the United States to receive migrants who have been denied asylum in the US but cannot return to their countries of origin, according to a senior government official.
The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement Thursday, saying the arrangement is a “temporary” one, and will not apply to individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors.
“The agreement is in respect of Third Country Nationals who may not be granted asylum in the United States, but are reluctant to or may have concerns about returning to their countries of origin,” said Vincent Bagiire, the ministry’s permanent secretary, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He added that Uganda prefers the individuals transferred under the deal to be from African countries, and that detailed implementation procedures are still being worked out.
This development comes just a day after Ugandan officials denied reports of any such agreement.
Now confirmed, it aligns Uganda with other East African countries; Rwanda and South Sudan that have also signed similar controversial migration arrangements with the US.
The policy is part of US President Donald Trump’s administration push to accelerate deportations of undocumented migrants, especially those whose countries of origin either cannot or will not receive them.
Uganda already hosts Africa’s largest refugee population, with over 1.7 million refugees as of 2025, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Many have fled conflict and instability in Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While the UN has praised Uganda’s open-door refugee policy, rights advocates are raising fresh concerns about the implications of this new agreement.
Critics say such deportation deals may violate international law by exposing migrants to potential torture, abduction, or persecution especially when returned to third countries with limited resources or fragile institutions.
The US has already come under scrutiny for similar arrangements, including a recent case where eight migrant criminals were deported to South Sudan, of which only one was a South Sudanese national. Despite legal battles in US courts, South Sudan accepted custody of the group.
Earlier this month, Rwanda also confirmed it would accept up to 250 migrants under a US-backed plan. Details of that agreement remain scarce.
Although the Trump administration defends these arrangements as necessary due to the refusal of some countries to repatriate their citizens, human rights organisations continue to voice strong opposition.
“These deportations may place people at severe risk,” one rights advocate warned, citing previous cases where migrants ended up detained in harsh conditions before being returned to unstable environments.
For now, both Washington and Kampala are reportedly finalizing how the Uganda agreement will be implemented.
