The United States has finalized bilateral deportation agreements with both Honduras and Uganda, contributing to its ongoing initiative to curb illegal immigration. According to documents reviewed by CBS, Uganda will take in an unspecified number of migrants from Africa and Asia who had sought asylum at the US-Mexico border. Meanwhile, Honduras is set to accept several hundred individuals deported from Spanish-speaking countries.
This strategy aligns with the Trump administration's broader goal of persuading nations worldwide to accept deportees who are not their citizens. However, human rights advocates have condemned these agreements due to concerns over the safety of migrants who could be sent to countries where they may face dangers.
Under the terms of the deal, Uganda has accepted to receive deported migrants, provided they have no criminal records, though the exact quota remains unclear. Honduras has agreed to accept these migrants over a two-year span, including families accompanied by children, and has the option to increase its intake.
These agreements mark part of a larger push by the Trump administration to establish deportation frameworks with countries across various continents, some of which have contentious human rights track records. To date, more than a dozen countries have agreed to facilitate the deportation of foreign migrants.
In addition to these recent deals, the US State Department announced a "safe third country" agreement with Paraguay designed to manage illegal immigration collaboratively. The White House is also exploring partnerships with several African nations, with Rwanda earlier indicating it would accept up to 250 migrants.
A stipulation within Rwanda's agreement allows the country to evaluate and approve each individual proposed for resettlement, raising further concerns amid its controversial human rights history, which includes potential risks of secondary deportation to perilous destinations.
Earlier in the year, Panama and Costa Rica had also committed to hosting several hundred migrants from the US. The Trump administration has actively reached out to other countries, including Ecuador and Spain, to extend similar deportation agreements.
Since the onset of his second term, Trump has intensified his efforts to deport undocumented migrants—a key campaign promise that significantly resonated with his supporters. The US Supreme Court previously sanctioned these deportation initiatives, allowing the resumption of removals to countries not of origin without permitting migrants to contest the risks they might face.
Notably, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented against the majority on this ruling, labeling it "a gross abuse" of judicial power. Various UN rights experts and human rights organizations also argue that this practice of deporting individuals to nations outside their homeland may breach international law.
