Burundi Takes In 12 US Deportees Under Third-Country Migration Deal
Burundi has received 12 migrants deported by the United States under an arrangement that allows Washington to transfer foreign nationals to countries other than their home nations, raising fresh questions about the expanding use of African countries in US immigration enforcement. The group, comprising nationals of Angola, Cameroon, Mauritania and Sudan, arrived in Burundi on August 27, according to security sources and a government official cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The deportations followed an agreement reportedly signed between Burundi and the United States in February 2026. A diplomatic memo reviewed by AFP indicated that the arrangement excluded individuals convicted of violent crimes. Although the agreement reportedly coincided with the resumption of US health assistance to Burundi, the terms did not specify any financial compensation for accepting deportees.
The 12 migrants are reportedly being housed in a villa in Kinindo, an affluent neighbourhood in Bujumbura, under the supervision of intelligence personnel. Their transfer was confirmed by Burundian sources, although authorities had announced in late September that the agreement had not yet been implemented. The latest information suggests that deportations had already taken place before that announcement.
The development comes amid a wider US effort to deport migrants to third countries. An investigation published in September estimated that more than 25,000 people had been removed from the United States under the programme, while US Immigration and Customs Enforcement data indicated that more than 500 people had been deported to African countries other than their countries of origin since 2025. Burundi’s participation adds to growing scrutiny of the arrangements, particularly regarding the protection, legal status and treatment of migrants transferred beyond their home countries.
