Rwanda agreed a deal to receive people deported from the US, beginning with an initial target of 250 deportees that can be increased by mutual consent, Reuters reported.
A Rwandan government spokesperson said the East African country will be able to approve each resettlement case, and will provide workforce training, health care, and accommodation for the deportees to settle in the country. Under the deal signed in June, the US will pay Rwanda in the form of a grant, the value of which is unknown. Child sex offenders will not be part of the agreement, nor will people with unfinished or outstanding prison sentences.
The deportation deal makes Rwanda an example of the “safe third country” concept that the Trump administration has pressed African nations to accept, in exchange for leniency on proposed visa restrictions. Rwanda in recent weeks also signed a peace deal with DR Congo that was brokered by the US.