The United States has signed bilateral deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda in its ongoing efforts to combat unlawful migration, as documented by the BBC’s US partner CBS.
As per the agreements, Uganda will accept an unspecified number of African and Asian migrants who sought asylum at the US-Mexico border, while Honduras will welcome several hundred deported individuals from Spanish-speaking countries, according to CBS.
These deals are part of the Trump administration’s strategy to persuade more nations to accept deported migrants who are not their citizens. Human rights advocates, however, have criticized the policy, citing the potential risks that migrants may face upon being returned to these countries.
Under the agreement with Uganda, the country will accept deported migrants without criminal records. The number of individuals that Uganda would ultimately take in remains uncertain. Honduras, on the other hand, has committed to receiving migrants over a two-year period, including families with children. It may also consider accepting additional migrants in the future.
The Trump administration has been actively pursuing deportation agreements with countries worldwide, including those with questionable human rights records. So far, at least a dozen nations have agreed to accept deported migrants from other countries.
Last week, the US State Department announced a “safe third country” agreement with Paraguay to “share the burden of managing irregular migration”. The White House has also been engaging with several African nations, with Rwanda agreeing to accept up to 250 migrants from the US.
While Rwanda has been criticized for its human rights record, a government spokesperson stated that Rwanda would have the authority to approve each individual proposed for resettlement. This raises concerns that those sent to Rwanda could potentially face danger and be deported again to their countries of origin.
Earlier this year, Panama and Costa Rica agreed to take in several hundred African and Asian migrants from the US. Government documents also show that the Trump administration has approached countries such as Ecuador and Spain to consider accepting deported migrants, as reported by CBS.
In the beginning of his second term, Trump has been vocal about his commitment to removing undocumented migrants, a campaign promise that garnered significant support. In June, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trump’s ability to resume deportations of migrants to countries outside their homeland without granting them the opportunity to present the risks they might encounter.
However, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the majority ruling, labeling it “a gross abuse”. Additionally, UN rights experts and human rights groups have argued that these removals to a nation that is not the migrant’s place of origin could breach international law.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn02eezlykdo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
