The Secretary of the state in United States of America Rubio Salutes President Museveni for regional stability

By our Reporter

The Secretary of the state in United States of America Rubio Salutes President Museveni for regional stability

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to explore ways of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in areas such as migration, trade, and commercial partnerships.

Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Thursday that Rubio thanked Uganda for its role in promoting regional stability and for its significant peacekeeping contributions in East Africa.

This discussion came a day after CBS News revealed internal U.S. government documents showing that the Trump administration had widened its immigration campaign to include Uganda and Honduras. The strategy seeks to persuade other nations to support its crackdown on illegal immigration by taking in deported migrants who are not their own citizens.

According to the documents, Uganda recently agreed to accept non-criminal deportees from the U.S. originating from other African countries, though the number it will ultimately receive remains uncertain. Similarly, Honduras agreed to take in deportees from other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, including families with children. The deal initially covers only a few hundred deportations over two years, but Honduras may allow more in the future.

CBS News reported that these arrangements are grounded in the U.S. immigration law’s “safe third country” provision, which enables asylum-seekers to be sent to another country deemed capable of handling their protection claims.

Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire later clarified that the deal is temporary and comes with restrictions, including the exclusion of individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors. He added that Uganda prefers to receive only deportees from African nations. Both governments are still finalizing the details of the agreement.

The report also noted that since the start of Trump’s second administration, at least a dozen countries have accepted or agreed to accept deportees under similar arrangements. The U.S. has also approached countries like Ecuador and Spain with similar requests.