Government of Uganda has clarified that it will only host a specific category of deported immigrants from the United States under a temporary arrangement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the deal does not mean Uganda will accept all individuals rejected by U.S. immigration authorities.
In a statement issued Thursday, Permanent Secretary Vincent Waiswa Bagiire explained the scope of the agreement.
“The Agreement is in respect of Third Country Nationals who may not be granted asylum in the United States but are reluctant to or may have concerns about returning to their countries of origin,” Bagiire stated.
He noted that the arrangement will not cover individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors.
He further explained that Uganda would prefer to host individuals originating from African countries rather than from other regions.
Bagiire underscored that the deal is strictly temporary and falls under a bilateral cooperation framework with Washington.
He clarified that the arrangement is not a permanent resettlement program and that both governments are still ironing out the modalities for implementation.
The statement comes in response to rising public debate and speculation over Uganda’s role in U.S. migration policy.
In July, The New York Times reported that U.S. deportees had been relocated to countries such as El Salvador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Jamaica, and Haiti.
Uganda’s clarification is meant to draw a distinction between temporary hosting under special circumstances and permanent relocation.
The country already shoulders a significant humanitarian responsibility, currently hosting over 1.6 million refugees.
The majority of these refugees come from conflict-ridden South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, making Uganda one of Africa’s largest refugee-hosting nations.
