Burundi to take third-country deportees from US

Burundi has agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States under former President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration measures, according to Nancy Ninette Mutoni, spokesperson for President Evariste Ndayishimiye. However, the African nation will only take those not implicated in criminal or terrorist activities, Mutoni stated.

The announcement on Tuesday provided no specifics on the numbers, timing, or financial aspects of the deal. Washington has transferred so-called third-country deportees to a handful of African countries through undisclosed agreements, which Senate Democrats contend have cost the U.S. tens of millions of dollars. In numerous instances, deportees had obtained legal safeguards from U.S. immigration courts against their return to their home countries.

Nevertheless, rights organizations argue that these third-country deals enable the U.S. to bypass those protections. Mutoni revealed that preparations are under way to organize housing, daily provisions, and integration into local communities for the deportees. She emphasized that accepting them necessitates meticulous planning, including where they will reside, their dietary requirements, and their role within the local population.

Mutoni added that if the deportees opt to join Burundian citizens and contribute to national development, they would be subject to the law and potentially granted citizenship. The Burundi foreign ministry spokesperson, however, noted that the specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed.