Uganda to Take in US Deportees, Testing Museveni’s Pan-Africanist Image

Uganda has agreed to receive a limited number of people deported from the United States who are not its nationals, becoming the latest African country to accept migrants under Washington’s tightened immigration policy.

The arrangement has stirred criticism at home, with opponents accusing President Yoweri Museveni of betraying his long-standing Pan-Africanist stance and his criticism of Western interference.

Officials in Kampala said the deal would only cover deportees without criminal records, mainly of African origin.

Uganda joins Rwanda, Eswatini and South Sudan, which have all accepted third-country deportees in recent months as part of Washington’s push to strike relocation agreements.

Rights groups say the policy amounts to dumping migrants in countries with no ties to them.

The initiative forms part of US President Donald Trump’s broader clampdown on immigration, which has included expanding deportations, detaining more migrants, and hiking application fees.

New rules impose a $100 filing fee for asylum applications, a $100 annual charge while cases remain pending, and higher visa and court processing costs.

Analysts say Museveni may be seeking to mend ties with Washington after relations soured over Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law last year.

But the deal risks backlash at home and could undermine his image as a defender of African sovereignty.

Neither Kampala nor Washington has disclosed how many deportees are expected to be sent under the arrangement.

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