Uganda receives first US deportation flight under third-country agreement

Uganda receives first US deportation flight under third-country agreement

The United States has initiated its first deportation flight to Uganda, marking a key step in Donald Trump’s administration’s effort to expel migrants to nations where they have no established connections. A senior Ugandan official revealed to Reuters that the 12 individuals on board would remain in the East African country as a temporary step toward possible relocation to other nations.

“We are not sending people to Uganda without coordination,” said the official, who described the process as part of a broader plan to streamline deportations while maintaining legal compliance.

The Uganda Law Society, which expressed strong opposition to the measure, accused the U.S. of implementing a “dehumanising” system that reduces deportees to mere assets for private interests across the Atlantic. The organisation has announced intentions to pursue legal action in Ugandan and regional courts to challenge the policy.

According to the U.S. embassy in Kampala, all deportations to Uganda are conducted with full government cooperation. Yasmeen Hibrawi, a public affairs counsellor, noted that diplomatic details remain confidential due to privacy concerns, stating, “We do not disclose specifics of our private communications or the individuals’ cases.”

Under the agreement signed in August, Uganda agreed to accept migrants from third countries who are unwilling to return to their home nations. The country has already hosted nearly 2 million refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from other East African states like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan. However, the deal does not specify whether the U.S. provides financial support for this arrangement.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has already dispatched dozens of migrants to third countries, including Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan. These nations have received deportees from diverse regions such as Cuba, Jamaica, Yemen, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. In Eswatini, for instance, five men were sent in July and another ten in October, with two repatriated to Jamaica and Cambodia.

Government data shows that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had detained over 63,000 individuals by early March. A report from Human Rights First and Raices highlighted that Dilley, Texas, housed 5,600 people, including infants and toddlers, between April 2025 and February 2026. Oryem Okello, Uganda’s foreign affairs minister, mentioned that while deportation orders have been issued for hundreds of asylum seekers, none had yet arrived, citing a U.S. focus on cost efficiency and bulk transport.