Burundi has agreed to receive migrants deported from the US to third countries, joining a growing number of African nations that have accepted such arrangements under President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
However, Burundi will only accept deportees who are not accused of crimes or links to terrorism, according to Nancy Ninette Mutoni, spokesperson for President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Mutoni said the government was preparing accommodation and other basic services for the arrivals, while also making plans to help them integrate into local communities. “Receiving them requires serious planning — where they will stay, what they will eat and how they will live alongside the local population,” she said.
Washington has sent so-called third-country deportees to about half a dozen African nations under agreements that Senate Democrats say have cost tens of millions of dollars. In some cases, deportees had secured legal protections from US immigration courts against repatriation. Rights groups have criticized the arrangements, arguing that they allow the US to circumvent those protections.
Mutoni said Burundi’s decision was aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations with Washington while also offering assistance to people in need.
“If they choose to join Burundian citizens and make a valuable contribution to national development, the law will be respected,” she said, referring to the possibility of citizenship.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while a spokesperson for Burundi’s Foreign Ministry said details of the agreement were not yet available. The timing and number of deportees to be received by Burundi also remain unclear.
