Uganda receives first 12 U.S. deportees as lawyers raise alarm

 by Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku, Face2FaceAfrica.com 

Uganda has received its first batch of deportees under a new transfer arrangement with the United States, with twelve individuals flown into the country on Thursday, according to the Uganda Law Society.

In a statement, the legal body said the group was “effectively dumped in Uganda through an undignified, harrowing and dehumanizing process,” noting they arrived aboard a private charter flight.

The transfers stem from a broader immigration push led by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has intensified efforts to deter illegal entry while accelerating deportations, particularly for migrants with criminal records or those whose home countries are difficult to return them to.

Officials from the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security have backed the use of third-country deportations, arguing the approach allows for faster removals. However, the policy has triggered multiple legal challenges both within the U.S. and in receiving countries.

Critics say the arrangement raises ethical concerns, especially when migrants are sent to places where they have no social or cultural ties. In one earlier case, U.S. authorities weighed the option of deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a figure at the center of an ongoing migration dispute, to Uganda.

The United States has secured similar agreements with several African nations, including Ghana and Eswatini. In Eswatini’s case, the U.S. committed $5.1 million to facilitate the acceptance of up to 160 deportees, based on details released by the State Department. It remains unclear whether Uganda received any financial compensation under its own deal.

The Uganda Law Society further alleged that those deported were left at the mercy of “unnamed, private interests on either side of the Atlantic,” and said it was pursuing legal action to halt what it called an “international illegality.”

Authorities have yet to disclose who the deportees are or where they originally come from.

Uganda’s state minister for foreign affairs, Okello Oryem, said he was out of the country and unaware of the arrivals at the time. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Kampala did not respond to inquiries regarding the condition or treatment of the individuals.

Speaking to the Associated Press last month, Oryem indicated Uganda was preparing for multiple incoming flights carrying deportees. He tagged the agreement as part of a broader pan-African commitment, describing it as a humanitarian gesture toward Africans stranded abroad.

Ugandan officials have previously maintained that the deal applies strictly to deportees of African origin who do not have criminal records.