In a Trump-like deal, Netherlands eyes to start deporting migrants to Uganda from next year

The Dutch government is preparing to send dozens of rejected migrants to Uganda under a deal similar to the one recently struck by US President Donald Trump’s administration, amid concerns of possible legal and logistical hurdles in the plan, The Financial Times reported.

Migration and Foreign Affairs Minister David van Weel told the Financial Times that a “transit hub” in Uganda could start operating as early as next year. “The agreement is in compliance with international law, European law, and our national laws,” he said. “But of course this will be appealed in the beginning, and then we’ll see whether or not that holds up.”

Van Weel said human rights were central to the deal signed last month with Kampala — something, he noted, that was “not a priority for Washington.”

“We don’t deny a responsibility that human rights of people that we send there need to be respected. That’s clear,” he said, adding that the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had been asked to manage the centres.

The deal mirrors an arrangement Donald Trump reached with Uganda in August to take in rejected asylum seekers from the US. However, unlike The Hague, Washington does not involve any UN agencies in its deportation plans.

Uganda’s foreign ministry earlier said it would prefer to accept migrants from African nations, excluding those with criminal records or unaccompanied minors.

Van Weel said the pilot project would mainly involve people from countries near Uganda. “At the moment we have a clear system for asylum applications, but too many people stay here [when] they have to return,” he said. “We need to ensure that people who don’t have a right to stay in Europe actually leave.”

The Dutch deal, still being finalised, would see Uganda take in migrants the Netherlands cannot return to their home countries. Van Weel also said LGBT+ people would not be sent to Uganda due to its harsh anti-gay laws, which include life imprisonment and even the death penalty.

“I think we have responsibility for people we send there,” he said. “There’s also a responsibility from the Ugandan side.”

Ugandan foreign ministry official Vincent Bagiire confirmed that Kampala would only accept “persons without a criminal record and persons of African origin who shall not use Uganda for political activism.” He said Uganda would not accept unaccompanied minors and would work with UNHCR and IOM for expertise on migration matters.

The EU is also debating new rules to make deportations easier, including sending migrants to non-EU countries that aren’t their home states — something previously considered legally complex.

Currently, only about 20 per cent of rejected asylum seekers in the EU are returned, according to the European Commission. Many cannot be sent back because their home countries refuse to accept them or because they abscond after being ordered to leave.