KAMPALA, Uganda — A dozen individuals expelled from the United States touched down in Uganda Thursday, marking the initial group to arrive under a newly established bilateral agreement between the two countries, according to the Uganda Law Society.
Legal representatives condemned the deportation process, stating the individuals were “effectively dumped in Uganda through an undignified, harrowing and dehumanizing process.” The group arrived via private charter aircraft, the law society noted in their statement.
These expulsions are occurring as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts, aimed at discouraging illegal border crossings and removing individuals already in the country unlawfully, particularly those with criminal backgrounds and others difficult to return to their native countries.
Both the State Department and Department of Homeland Security have justified third-country deportations as an efficient method for rapidly removing individuals residing illegally in America. These deportation practices have sparked numerous legal challenges both domestically and in receiving nations.
The practice draws criticism partly because individuals may be transferred to nations with which they share no cultural connections. Last August, officials briefly contemplated sending Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a prominent figure in an ongoing immigration case, to Uganda.
America has established agreements with no fewer than seven African countries to accept certain migrants. These partnerships span from Ghana in West Africa to Eswatini in southern Africa, with the latter receiving $5.1 million from Washington to accept up to 160 deportees, based on State Department documentation.
Whether Uganda received similar compensation remains unclear.
The law society accused officials of placing deportees at the discretion of “unnamed, private interests on either side of the Atlantic,” while announcing plans to pursue legal action against what they termed “international illegality.”
Neither the identities nor countries of origin of the deportees were disclosed.
Okello Oryem, Uganda’s state minister overseeing foreign affairs, stated he was traveling and unaware of the arrivals.
A representative from the American Embassy in Kampala did not respond to inquiries regarding the deportees’ welfare.
Last month, Oryem informed The Associated Press that Uganda anticipated “planeloads” of deportees from America. He explained the agreement stemmed from pan-African solidarity and humanitarian concerns for Africans unwanted abroad.
Ugandan officials previously indicated their arrangement with Washington involves accepting African-origin deportees without criminal histories.
