Burundi Joins Growing List of African Destinations for US Deportees
Burundi has agreed to receive some migrants deported by the United States, adding the East African country to a growing list of African states participating in Washington’s third-country deportation policy.
Under the arrangement, Burundi will accept deportees who have not been accused of crimes and have no known links to terrorism, according to the Burundian government. Authorities have not disclosed how many people will be received, when they will arrive or the financial terms of the agreement, but preparations are reportedly underway to provide accommodation and support for their integration into local communities.
The policy allows the US to send migrants to countries other than their countries of origin when they cannot be returned directly. The Trump administration has expanded the practice as part of its immigration crackdown, with more than 25,000 migrants reportedly deported to 29 countries or territories. Other African countries that have agreed to receive US deportees include South Sudan, Uganda, Liberia, Eswatini and Equatorial Guinea.
The growing use of third countries has raised questions over how responsibility for deported migrants is being shared between the US and countries that agree to receive them. UN human rights experts have called for the policy to be halted, warning that some deportees could face persecution, torture or other serious abuses after being transferred to countries where they have no previous ties.
For Burundi, the agreement also leaves important details unresolved, including how the migrants will be screened, what legal status they will receive and how long they will remain in the country. The arrangement therefore places Burundi among an expanding group of African countries being drawn into the practical and legal consequences of the US immigration crackdown, even as concerns over safeguards for deportees continue.
