Uganda deal with Trump on US deportees runs into opposition
Opposition figures and activists in Uganda on Tuesday criticized an agreement with the United States to receive deported migrants, questioning the lack of parliamentary approval.
Ugandan officials have released few details about the agreement, although they said they preferred to receive deportees of African origin and didn't want individuals with criminal records.
However, the country is being put forward as a possible location for high-profile detainee Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvador native who has been charged with human smuggling.
Abrego Garcia, the subject of a protracted immigration saga, was detained on Monday by immigration officials in Baltimore, and the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Abrego Garcia “is being processed for removal to Uganda.”
Parliamentary oversight
Without parliamentary oversight, the whole scheme is flawed, said Mathias Mpuuga, until recently the leader of the opposition in Uganda's national assembly.
Ibrahim Ssemujju, an opposition lawmaker, said he believed “the matter should be handled by parliament”.
It remains unclear precisely what Ugandan authorities are getting in return for accepting deportees.
Uganda’s attorney-general, as well as the government ministers in charge of refugees and internal affairs, were not immediately available for comment.
Trade opportunities
The deal may come with trade opportunities, said Marlon Agaba, executive director of Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda.
“The Trump administration is about deals, about deal-making,” he said.
In July, the US deported five men with criminal backgrounds to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini and sent eight more to South Sudan.
Rwanda has also said it will receive up to 250 migrants deported from the U.S.
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