Federal government considers deporting illegal immigrants to detention centers in Rwanda
According to leaked diplomatic documents, there are negotiations between Washington and Kigali, including an initial payment of $100,000 to cover social services and documentation.
Deported illegal immigrants on board a plane.
The federal government is considering deporting illegal immigrants to Rwanda. According to various media sources, the administration has already conducted a first deportation and is in advanced negotiations with the government of Rwanda to take illegal migrants with deportation orders there.
According to a leaked diplomatic communication reported by Marisa Kabas for The Handbasket, Rwanda agreed to accept deportees in exchange for financial support and integration assistance. The agreement includes an initial payment of $100,000 to cover social services and documentation.
This agreement is similar to the one the U.K. during its previous government reached with the African state. However, court rulings and the change of leadership after the British elections brought these plans to a complete halt. Rwanda had prepared infrastructure with the help of the U.K. to house the deported illegal immigrants.
According to The Handbasket, the first known case is that of Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, an Iraqi refugee accused of links to the Islamic State. Although a U.S. judge dismissed the charges in 2021, Ameen was deported to Rwanda in April 2025.
Applause from the former Tory government in the U.K.
Braverman was at the helm of the U.K.'s immigration policy during her tenure. At that point, the country sought to encourage deportations of illegal immigrants.
"Well done President Trump," Braverman wrote on social media. He added that "the ECHR [European Court of Human Rights] and the Strasbourg Court stopped us from deporting illegal migrants to Rwanda. Then Labour cancelled our Rwanda deterrent on their first day in office."
"It would have made the British people safer and stopped the boats. The Americans are showing us what proper Border Control looks like. Humiliating for the U.K.," she concluded.
The administration claims, according to The New Republic, that Ameen murdered an Iraqi police officer as part of an ISIS plot, and attempted to have him deported to Iraq for trial. Ameen maintains he is innocent and claims he was in Turkey at the time of the murder, awaiting refugee status with the United Nations.
A federal judge ruled in 2021 that the case against Ameen was "dubious," with "unreliable" witnesses and "simply not plausible" accusations, and ordered his immediate release. But just after his release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Biden administration rearrested him and began deportation proceedings.
In May of last year, Ameen said in a statement, "I am so grateful to the judge for listening to all the evidence, and I thank God that in this country, I had the right to defend myself and be found innocent. I love America and want to enjoy living here with my wife and children for the rest of my life. It saddens me that I still have to fight for my freedom again."
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