What to know after the US deports more migrants to Africa

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN South Africa AP Rwanda has become the third African nation to receive deportees from the United States as the Trump administration expands its operation to send transients to countries they have no ties with Related Articles Trump administration asks military base outside Chicago for promotion on immigration operations Closure of Florida s Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center can proceed judge says Trump s power challenged in court by a key member of the Federal Reserve that he s trying to fire Japan s chief arrangement envoy postpones US trip as Tokyo calls for faster action on its tariffs deal Louisiana urges Supreme Court to bar use of race in redistricting in attack on Voting Rights Act A Rwandan governing body spokesperson commented Thursday that seven deportees arrived in the East African country earlier this month No announcement was made at the time Rwanda did say in early August that it had agreed to take up to deportees but declined then to say when the first would arrive Two other African nations South Sudan and Eswatini have already accepted a small number of deportees from the U S in what have also been secretive deals while Uganda mentioned last week it has an agreement in principle to take deportees Here s what we know about the deportations of displaced persons from the U S Rwanda Rwandan cabinet spokesperson Yolande Makolo explained the seven deportees are being visited by representatives from the United Nations migration agency and Rwandan social services Three of them want to return to their home countries while the other four wish to stay and build lives in Rwanda she stated The Rwandan leadership didn t say where the deportees are being held FILE Rwandan President Paul Kagame left and his wife first lady Jeannette Kagame arrive for a ceremony to mark the th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali Rwanda Sunday April AP Photo Brian Inganga File There was no information on their identities nationalities or if they have criminal records Deportees previously sent to South Sudan and Eswatini were all described by U S officials as dangerous criminals Rwanda s deal with the U S follows a contentious migrant agreement it reached with the U K in that collapsed and was ruled unlawful by Britain s Supreme Court That deal was meant to see people seeking asylum in the U K sent to Rwanda where they would stay if their asylum applications were approved Uganda Uganda which borders Rwanda stated it would accept deportees from the U S as long as they don t have criminal records or are unaccompanied minors FILE Drivers of motorcycle taxis known locally as boda-bodas ride with passengers on a street of Kampala Uganda on July AP Photo Hajarah Nalwadda File The U S has commented it wants to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia whose situation has become a flashpoint in U S President Donald Trump s immigration crackdown to Uganda Like the other countries Uganda didn t give any other details of its deal with the U S or what it might gain from accepting deported foreigners African nations might get a range of benefits for accepting deportees and improving their relations with the Trump administration We are sacrificing human beings for political expediency in this scenario because Uganda wants to be in the good books of the United States Ugandan human rights lawyer Nicholas Opio commented when his country broadcasted it was seeking a deal with the U S South Sudan The U S sent eight men from South Sudan Cuba Laos Mexico Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in July after their deportations were held up by a legal challenge That led to them being kept for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in nearby Djibouti U S personnel stated the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the U S South Sudan s governing body explained it would ensure their safety and wellbeing but has declined to say where the men are being held and what their fate might be South Sudan has been wracked by conflict since it gained independence from Sudan in and is teetering on the edge of civil war again Eswatini Two weeks after the South Sudan deportations the U S stated that it had sent five other men citizens of Vietnam Jamaica Cuba Yemen and Laos to the small kingdom of Eswatini in southern Africa The U S Department of Homeland Safety described them as violent criminals whose home countries had refused to take them back FILE Matsapha Correctional Complex is seen in Matsapha near Mbabane Eswatini Thursday July AP Photo File Eswatini s leadership announced the men would be held in solitary confinement until their repatriation and later stated that might take up to a year A human rights lawyer in Eswatini has taken the leadership to court alleging the men are being denied legal representation while being held in a maximum-security prison Eswatini which borders South Africa is one of the world s last absolute monarchies King Mswati III has ruled since he turned in and leadership under him are accused of violently subduing pro-democracy movements