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| Rwanda agrees to take up to 250 migrants deported from the US, spokesperson tells the BBC | Rwanda agrees to take up to 250 migrants deported from the US, spokesperson tells the BBC |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Government spokesperson Yolande Makole says Rwanda will have the power to approve who it will accept "for resettlement" | Government spokesperson Yolande Makole says Rwanda will have the power to approve who it will accept "for resettlement" |
| Rwanda has said it will accept up to 250 migrants from the US in a deal agreed with President Donald Trump's administration. | Rwanda has said it will accept up to 250 migrants from the US in a deal agreed with President Donald Trump's administration. |
| Under the scheme the deportees would be given "workforce training, health care, and accommodation to jump start their lives in Rwanda", government spokesperson Yolande Makole confirmed to the BBC. | Under the scheme the deportees would be given "workforce training, health care, and accommodation to jump start their lives in Rwanda", government spokesperson Yolande Makole confirmed to the BBC. |
| A condition of the agreement was that Rwanda would have "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement", she added. | A condition of the agreement was that Rwanda would have "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement", she added. |
| The White House has not commented on the deal directly but told the BBC it was constantly talking to countries "willing to assist us in removing the illegal aliens that [ex-President] Joe Biden" had allowed to "infiltrate" the US. | The White House has not commented on the deal directly but told the BBC it was constantly talking to countries "willing to assist us in removing the illegal aliens that [ex-President] Joe Biden" had allowed to "infiltrate" the US. |
| Since Trump came back into power in January, he has focused on a sweeping mass deportation scheme to remove undocumented migrants from the US quickly, a key election promise. | Since Trump came back into power in January, he has focused on a sweeping mass deportation scheme to remove undocumented migrants from the US quickly, a key election promise. |
| Destination: Africa - is it legal for US to deport foreign criminals to the continent? | Destination: Africa - is it legal for US to deport foreign criminals to the continent? |
| Is Rwanda a land of safety or fear? | Is Rwanda a land of safety or fear? |
| Murmurs of a deal between Rwanda and the US came out in May, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was "actively searching" for a country to take some of what he described as the "some of the most despicable human beings". | Murmurs of a deal between Rwanda and the US came out in May, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was "actively searching" for a country to take some of what he described as the "some of the most despicable human beings". |
| The Trump administration has been courting several African countries to accept deported migrants whose home countries have refused to take them back. Eswatini and South Sudan have recently accepted some, including deportees who are convicted criminals. | |
| Ms Makolo told the BBC that Rwanda had gone ahead with the deal with the US because "nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement". | Ms Makolo told the BBC that Rwanda had gone ahead with the deal with the US because "nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement". |
| She added that Rwandan society values were founded "on reintegration and rehabilitation". | She added that Rwandan society values were founded "on reintegration and rehabilitation". |
| This echoed comments from May when Rwanda's foreign affairs minister said the country, which went through a genocide in the mid-1990s, was led in the "spirit" of giving "another chance to migrants who have problems across the world". | This echoed comments from May when Rwanda's foreign affairs minister said the country, which went through a genocide in the mid-1990s, was led in the "spirit" of giving "another chance to migrants who have problems across the world". |
| Under a deal agreed with the UN refugee agency and African Union six years ago, nearly 3,000 refugees and asylum seekers trapped in Libya were evacuated to Rwanda between September 2019 and April 2025. The UN says many of these people have subsequently been resettled elsewhere. | Under a deal agreed with the UN refugee agency and African Union six years ago, nearly 3,000 refugees and asylum seekers trapped in Libya were evacuated to Rwanda between September 2019 and April 2025. The UN says many of these people have subsequently been resettled elsewhere. |
| Rwanda had a deal with the UK, agreed with the Conservative government in 2022, to accept asylum seekers. | Rwanda had a deal with the UK, agreed with the Conservative government in 2022, to accept asylum seekers. |
| But the UK scrapped the scheme, which faced numerous legal challenges, after Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government took office in July last year. | But the UK scrapped the scheme, which faced numerous legal challenges, after Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government took office in July last year. |
| It is not clear what is planned for the facilities prepared in Rwanda for migrants who had been due to arrive from the UK | It is not clear what is planned for the facilities prepared in Rwanda for migrants who had been due to arrive from the UK |
| The UK had paid Rwanda £240m ($310m), even building places to house the asylum seekers. It is not clear what has happened to these facilities. | The UK had paid Rwanda £240m ($310m), even building places to house the asylum seekers. It is not clear what has happened to these facilities. |
| The Reuters news agency reported that an unnamed Rwandan official had said the US would give Kigali an unspecified grant as part of the deal, but this has not been confirmed. | The Reuters news agency reported that an unnamed Rwandan official had said the US would give Kigali an unspecified grant as part of the deal, but this has not been confirmed. |
| Ms Makolo told the BBC that more details would be provided once they had been worked out. | Ms Makolo told the BBC that more details would be provided once they had been worked out. |
| Human rights experts have raised concerns that removals to a nation that is not a migrant's place of origin - known as a third country - could violate international law. | Human rights experts have raised concerns that removals to a nation that is not a migrant's place of origin - known as a third country - could violate international law. |
| Rwanda has previously been criticised for its human rights record, including the risk that those sent to the East African nation could be deported again to countries where they may face danger. | Rwanda has previously been criticised for its human rights record, including the risk that those sent to the East African nation could be deported again to countries where they may face danger. |
| But Rwanda's government maintains it can provide a safe place for migrants. | But Rwanda's government maintains it can provide a safe place for migrants. |
| The country has also come under fire for backing the M23 rebel group embroiled in the conflict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo - an accusation it has denied. | The country has also come under fire for backing the M23 rebel group embroiled in the conflict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo - an accusation it has denied. |
| In June, a ceasefire deal was signed in Washington by Rwanda and DR Congo as part of an ongoing peace process aimed at ending three decades of instability in the region. | In June, a ceasefire deal was signed in Washington by Rwanda and DR Congo as part of an ongoing peace process aimed at ending three decades of instability in the region. |
| Additional reporting from the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Nairobi and Bernd Debusmann Jr at the White House | Additional reporting from the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Nairobi and Bernd Debusmann Jr at the White House |
| You may also be interested in: | You may also be interested in: |
| Hope Hostel in Rwanda, where migrants from UK were destined to stay | Hope Hostel in Rwanda, where migrants from UK were destined to stay |
| What happened when Israel sent its refugees to Rwanda | What happened when Israel sent its refugees to Rwanda |
| Refugees sent to Rwanda from remote UK island speak to BBC | Refugees sent to Rwanda from remote UK island speak to BBC |
| The rapid remaking of a nation, in 100 days | The rapid remaking of a nation, in 100 days |
| How Trump wants the US to cash in on mineral-rich DR Congo's peace deal | How Trump wants the US to cash in on mineral-rich DR Congo's peace deal |
| Which other countries send asylum seekers overseas? | Which other countries send asylum seekers overseas? |
| Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. | Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. |
| Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica | Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica |