Rwanda agreed to accept up to 250 US deportees for $7.5 million payment

The United States and Rwanda signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Kigali on June 3, 2025 — effective the date of the later signature — under which the U.S. would collaborate with Rwanda "on an ongoing basis" to identify third-country nationals for removal there, explicitly including people who "may include TCNs with relevant security or public safety considerations," and provide Rwanda an upfront disbursement of $7.5 million "to strengthen Rwanda's border and migration management capacity." In exchange, Rwanda agreed to facilitate the removal of up to 250 third-country nationals — who need not arrive at the same time — provided each person receives "appropriate legal status or other legal accommodations under Rwandan law" on arrival. The MOU's Annex A sets out the actual mechanics: once the U.S. identifies people for removal, it shares their identities, demographics, criminal or security records, and health needs with a Rwandan liaison, and once Rwanda's liaison confirms the group, the U.S. aims to execute the flight within 96 hours.

Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo publicly confirmed the arrangement in early August 2025, saying "Rwanda has the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement" and that those accepted would receive "workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support." A Rwandan official separately said Washington had sent an initial list of 10 people for vetting, and that a grant letter transferring U.S. funds to Rwanda was signed that July.

The first seven deportees arrived in Kigali in mid-August 2025; four remained in Rwanda while three chose to return to their home countries. A subsequent Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic staff report calculated that, factoring in the disclosed $7.5 million payment against the small number of people actually transferred, the arrangement cost U.S. taxpayers more than $1 million per person removed — among the figures the report cited in describing the administration's third-country deals as costing tens of millions of dollars for a fraction of the removals the administration has publicly touted.