Uganda Flag

Juba, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – Uganda has reached a deal with the U.S. to take in migrants with no criminal records, according to documents obtained by CBS News.

In July, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security deported a group of eight individuals with criminal records to South Sudan. A week later, the U.S. also deported five immigrant men from different countries to Eswatini.

According to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the men had extensive criminal records that included serious offenses such as rape, homicide, drug violations, and assault.

According to documents obtained by CBS News, the deal is part of a wider U.S. campaign to send migrants to countries other than their homelands.

It stated that a government document shows the Trump administration has expanded its campaign to persuade countries around the world to aid its crackdown on illegal immigration by accepting deportations of migrants who are not their own citizens.

The documents reveal that Uganda recently agreed to accept deportees from the U.S. who hail from other African countries, as long as they do not have criminal histories.

It remains unclear how many deportees Uganda will ultimately accept.

Honduras has also agreed to receive several hundred deportees from other Spanish-speaking countries, including families with children, over two years, with the option to accept more.

These agreements are based on a “safe third country” provision of U.S. immigration law, which allows officials to send asylum-seekers to other nations if those countries are deemed capable of fairly handling their claims.

The administration has argued that such agreements are key to its mass deportation campaign, as they provide a solution for migrants who cannot easily be deported to their home countries due to strained diplomatic relations.

The new deals with Uganda and Honduras are part of a broader diplomatic effort that has already secured agreements with at least a dozen countries since President Trump’s second term began.

U.S. officials have also approached nations like Spain and Ecuador to expand the scheme. The policy follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gave the administration the authority to deport migrants to third countries with a minimal degree of due process.

The administration has previously sent immigrants convicted of violent crimes and who hail from countries like Cuba and Jamaica to nations including South Sudan and the tiny African kingdom of Eswatini.

Agreements to accept third-country deportees have also been announced by Guatemala, Kosovo, and Rwanda.

Human rights advocates have strongly condemned the policy, warning that migrants could be sent to countries where they could face harm.

A recent State Department report on Uganda noted “negative developments in the human rights situation,” including unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests.

Doris Meissner, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, notes that while the U.S. has long faced difficulties deporting some migrants, the current administration’s efforts are more widespread.

She suggests that a main driver of the policy is a desire to send a message of deterrence, highlighting the possibility that migrants could be sent to distant countries where they have no ties.