Lawyers move to block US deportations to Uganda amid reports flight en route

The Uganda Law Society (ULS), alongside the East Africa Law Society, has gone to court to block a controversial deportation arrangement with the United States, amid reports that dozens of individuals are already en route to Entebbe.

The lawyers argue the deal raises serious legal and human rights concerns, particularly around transparency and Uganda’s obligations under international law.

According to ULS, the deportees are expected to arrive aboard a privately owned aircraft at Entebbe International Airport on Thursday, April 2.

“The ULS and East Africa Law Society have learnt about an advanced plot to forcibly remove (in the name of deportation) a dozen people from the United States and effectively dump them in Uganda through an undignified, harrowing and dehumanising process that has reduced them into little more than chattel, for the benefit of unnamed, private interests on either side of the Atlantic,” said ULS Vice-President Anthony Asiimwe.

The society questioned the legality of the process, arguing that key government institutions were not involved and that no clear legal framework exists to govern such transfers.

“Our research indicates that none of the mandated institutions, such as the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, the Parliament of Uganda, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been engaged regarding this matter. Moreover, no policy document or legislation has been promulgated to stipulate the procedures relevant to the transfer of people from one country to another,” the lawyers said.

Legal gaps

ULS is seeking court orders to halt what it describes as an unlawful process, urging urgent intervention.

“Our perspective on the matter is broader than the single act of deportation. We view it as but one gust from the ill winds of transnational repression that are blowing across our world,” the society said, warning of wider implications if the arrangement proceeds.

It also raised concerns about potential profiteering by private contractors linked to the deportations.

“Typical of such suspicious arrangements, we have also learnt about private contractors who are falling over themselves to cash in on the suffering of fellow human beings…,” the statement said.

The society added that the development evokes “a dark past” and risks undermining global commitments to human dignity and rights.

Policy questions

Details of the reported arrangement remain unclear, though it is understood to involve the transfer of deportees from the US to Uganda. Critics say the government has not disclosed the terms or clarified the legal status of those expected to arrive.

In August last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Uganda and the US had agreed to consider protection requests for third-country nationals unable or unwilling to return to their countries of origin.

“This is a temporary arrangement with conditions, including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted. Uganda also prefers that individuals from African countries be the ones transferred,” said Permanent Secretary Bagiire Vincent Waiswa at the time.

The arrangement excludes individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors, though implementation modalities were still under discussion.

There are also concerns about Uganda’s capacity to receive and process deportees, as well as broader implications for refugee protection and immigration policy.

Ugandan authorities have yet to issue a detailed response, even as reports of incoming arrivals intensify scrutiny.

In recent months, the US has deported individuals to third countries, including five men to Eswatini and eight to South Sudan. Rwanda has also said it will receive up to 250 deportees.