Uganda Denies Agreement to Accept U.S. Deportees

A senior Ugandan official has refuted claims made by CBS News that the country has agreed to accept deportees from the United States. On Wednesday, Okello Oryem, Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, stated that Uganda does not possess the necessary facilities to accommodate such individuals.

The CBS report, citing internal U.S. government documents, suggested that agreements had been reached with both Uganda and Honduras in an effort by the U.S. to intensify the expulsion of migrants to nations where they do not hold citizenship. However, Oryem clarified in a text message to Reuters, “To the best of my knowledge, we have not reached such an agreement. We do not have the facilities and infrastructure to accommodate such illegal immigrants in Uganda.”

The Trump administration is actively pursuing the deportation of millions of immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. Efforts have included exploring arrangements to deport convicted criminals to third-party countries, such as South Sudan and Eswatini.

According to the CBS report, the proposed agreements with Uganda and Honduras are rooted in a provision of U.S. immigration law, which allows for asylum seekers to be redirected to third countries deemed capable of fairly adjudicating their claims.

As a key ally of the U.S. in East Africa, Uganda currently hosts nearly two million refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily from neighboring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan.