Trump administration to send migrant deportees to Burundi under new deal

Burundi has agreed to accept migrants from other countries who are deported from the United States under President Donald Trump’s third-country deportation policy.

However, Burundi will only accept people who have not been accused of crimes or links to terrorism, presidential spokesperson Nancy Ninette Mutoni said Tuesday.

The agreement makes Burundi the latest African nation to receive people deported from the US who are not citizens of the country accepting them.

No details have been released about how many migrants Burundi will receive, when they will arrive or whether the agreement includes payments from Washington.

Mutoni said preparations were under way to provide accommodation and help deportees 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, according to Reuters.

Rights groups have criticised the Trump administration’s third-country deportation programme, arguing that some migrants are being sent to countries where they have no ties and could face safety risks.

Burundi said the agreement was intended to strengthen diplomatic relations with the US while providing support to people in need.