Uganda deal with Trump on US deportees runs into opposition

Opposition figures and activists in Uganda on Tuesday criticized an agreement with the United States to receive deported migrants, questioning the lack of parliamentary approval.

Ugandan officials have released few details about the agreement, although they said they preferred to receive deportees of African origin and didn't want individuals with criminal records.

However, the country is being put forward as a possible location for high-profile detainee Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvador native who has been charged with human smuggling.

Abrego Garcia, the subject of a protracted immigration saga, was detained on Monday by immigration officials in Baltimore, and the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Abrego Garcia “is being processed for removal to Uganda.”

Parliamentary oversight

Without parliamentary oversight, the whole scheme is flawed, said Mathias Mpuuga, until recently the leader of the opposition in Uganda's national assembly.

Ibrahim Ssemujju, an opposition lawmaker, said he believed “the matter should be handled by parliament”.