The United States has finalised an agreement with Rwanda to deport up to 250 illegal migrants in a deal strikingly similar to the UK’s abandoned scheme, prompting former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to accuse Sir Keir Starmer of scrapping Britain’s programme out of “Left-wing spite”.
The agreement, signed in Kigali in June and confirmed by Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo on Tuesday, allows Rwanda to vet each deportee before acceptance. Washington has already submitted an initial list of ten individuals for screening as part of President Donald Trump’s expanded third-country deportation programme.
The deal emerges as UK small boat arrivals have surged dramatically under Labour, with more than 25,000 people crossing the Channel as of 30 July 2025. This represents a 50 per cent increase compared to the same point in 2024, fuelling criticism of Starmer’s decision to abandon the Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme immediately upon taking office.
Johnson Calls for Scheme Revival
Boris Johnson, who negotiated Britain’s original Rwanda deal during his premiership, told the Daily Mail that Starmer should reinstate the programme immediately. “Here is proof, if ever it were needed, that Starmer was very sadly misguided in abandoning the Rwanda scheme,” Johnson said.
“It would certainly have worked and it would have scuppered the cross-Channel gangs. It is heartbreaking to see other countries now taking advantage – yet again – of ideas pioneered by Britain,” the former prime minister added.
Johnson accused Starmer of scrapping the scheme “purely out of Left-wing spite” and called for its immediate restoration. The UK had spent nearly £1 billion on the Rwanda programme, including £290 million in payments to Kigali, before Starmer cancelled it as his first act after winning the July 2024 election.
Details of US-Rwanda Agreement
Under the American agreement, Rwanda will accept migrants who have completed any prison sentences or have no criminal cases pending. The deal explicitly excludes child sex offenders and requires Rwanda to approve each individual before transfer.
“Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants, in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation,” Makolo stated.
Approved migrants will receive workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to begin new lives in what Makolo described as “one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade. The agreement allows migrants to leave Rwanda at any time after arrival.
Financial Terms and Expansion Potential
While specific financial details remain undisclosed, a Rwandan official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the US will pay Rwanda through a grant finalised in July. The agreement includes provisions for mutual extension beyond the initial 250-person limit.
The deal forms part of Trump’s broader strategy to deport millions of illegal immigrants to third countries. His administration has already struck similar agreements with South Sudan and Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, and deported more than 200 Venezuelans accused of gang membership to El Salvador in March.
“We are working with other countries to say, ‘We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countries. Will you do that as a favour to us?'” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a televised cabinet meeting. “And the farther away from America, the better, so they can’t come back across the border.”
UK Channel Crisis Deepens
The American success in securing a Rwanda deal has intensified scrutiny of Britain’s migration crisis. Channel crossings reached 898 people on 31 July alone, the highest daily figure recorded in 2025. Migration Watch UK data shows crossings have continued despite Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs.
Home Office statistics indicate that from January to June 2025, approximately 20,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats, representing the highest number ever recorded for this period and a 48 per cent increase compared to the same timeframe in 2024.
The surge comes despite a “one-in-one-out” agreement negotiated with France in July, under which France accepts returned migrants without UK family connections in exchange for Britain taking an equal number with proven UK family ties. Critics argue this arrangement allows 94 per cent of illegal Channel migrants to remain in Britain.
Human Rights Concerns Persist
Human rights organisations have raised concerns about Rwanda’s suitability as a destination for deportees. Jeffrey Smith, founder of pro-democracy nonprofit Vanguard Africa, described Rwanda under President Paul Kagame as “a totalitarian police state by any standard” and “simply not a safe country.
The UK Supreme Court ruled in November 2023 that Britain’s Rwanda scheme was unlawful, citing risks that asylum seekers could face persecution if returned to their home countries from Rwanda. Similar concerns have been raised about the American programme.
Rwanda’s previous experience with migration deals includes a 2019 agreement with the UN refugee agency to temporarily host asylum seekers evacuated from Libya, with nearly 3,000 arrivals recorded between 2019 and 2025. The country has positioned itself as willing to accept migrants that Western nations seek to remove.
Legal Challenges Expected
The US Supreme Court in June allowed the Trump administration to deport migrants to third countries without giving them opportunity to demonstrate potential harm, though ongoing federal litigation in Boston could challenge the programme’s legality.
Immigration advocates have criticised third-country deportations as “dangerous and cruel”, arguing that people could be sent to nations where they face violence, have no connections, and cannot speak the language. The administration maintains such deportations help swiftly remove migrants, particularly those with criminal convictions.
Broader Context of Trump’s Immigration Agenda
The Rwanda agreement represents Trump’s latest effort to fulfil his campaign promise of conducting the “largest deportation operation” in US history. His administration has faced criticism for allegedly pressuring African nations to accept deportees, with some accusing him of treating the continent as a “dumping ground.
Rwanda Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe had confirmed in May that his country was in “early talks” with Washington about accepting deportees. The timing has raised questions, as the US has been attempting to broker peace between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo over the ongoing M23 rebel conflict.
As both the United States and United Kingdom grapple with unprecedented migration challenges, the divergent approaches of the Trump and Starmer administrations have thrown into sharp relief the political complexities of immigration enforcement. While America moves forward with its Rwanda programme, Britain faces record Channel crossings with no comparable third-country solution in place.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
