Uganda receives first US deportation flight under third-country agreement

Uganda Receives First US Deportation Flight Under Third-Country Agreement

The arrival of a deportation flight from the United States in Uganda marks the first under an agreement inked between the two nations in August. The group, comprising 12 individuals, will remain in the eastern African country as part of a temporary phase for possible relocation to other destinations, according to a senior Ugandan government official speaking to Reuters.

Deportation efforts, part of Donald Trump’s administration’s broader strategy, aim to send migrants to countries with which they have minimal connections. The Uganda Law Society expressed strong opposition to the process, calling it “undignified, harrowing, and dehumanising,” and described how it has reduced individuals to mere property for the benefit of private interests across the Atlantic.

“All deportations are in full cooperation with the government of Uganda,” said Yasmeen Hibrawi, a public affairs counsellor at the US embassy in Kampala. “However, we do not discuss the specifics of our private diplomatic communications, as privacy considerations prevent us from revealing case details.”

The agreement allows Uganda to host individuals from third countries who may not qualify for US asylum but are “reluctant” to return to their home nations. The country explicitly stated it would not accept those with criminal records or unaccompanied minors, though it did not clarify whether financial compensation was involved.

Other African nations participating in similar arrangements include Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan. These countries have received migrants from diverse regions, such as Cuba, Jamaica, Yemen, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. In Eswatini, the US paid $5.1 million to facilitate the intake of up to 160 individuals. Five men were sent in July, with ten more arriving in October. Two have since been returned to Jamaica and Cambodia, while the rest are held in maximum security facilities.

Uganda, which already shelters nearly 2 million refugees and asylum seekers—mostly from neighboring east African states like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan—has been preparing for the influx. Oryem Okello, the Ugandan minister of state for foreign affairs, noted that the US had not yet dispatched any asylum seekers, citing a “cost analysis” to optimize efficiency. “Planeloads are the most effective way,” he added, emphasizing the need for larger batches rather than small groups.

According to government data, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had detained over 63,000 people by 12 March 2026. A report by Human Rights First and Raices revealed that toddlers and newborns were among the 5,600 individuals incarcerated at an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas, during the period spanning April 2025 to February 2026.