Trump Administration Deports Iraqi Man to Africa, Reportedly Plans More Transfers
The U.S. has deported an Iraqi man to Rwanda, marking the first transfer under what appears to be a new Trump-era deportation arrangement.
Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, who had been living in the U.S. since at least 2014 after receiving refugee status, was deported earlier this month, according to a Thursday report from Reuters.
The independent news outlet The Handbasket first reported the development, releasing a U.S. State Department cable that outlined details of the new deportation plan.
According to the arrangement, Rwanda would act as a “Third Party Nation,” accepting migrants that the U.S. is unable to send back to their countries of origin.
Ameen is the first person deported under this framework, but The Handbasket reports that at least 10 additional migrants are expected to follow.
In a cable from March, the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda, announced that Rwanda had agreed to accept deportees from the U.S. Another cable sent on Tuesday confirmed Ameen's deportation.
“Rwanda’s primary motivation for accepting Mr. Amen and subsequent TCNs [Third Country Nationals] is to improve U.S. relations and show it can advance the America First agenda,” the cable stated.
As part of the deal, the U.S. reportedly made a “one-time payment of $100,000 to support social services, residency documents, and work permits,” in response to a request from Rwanda.
Accused Islamic State fighter had been living in Sacramento after being accepted into the US as a refugee. https://t.co/eGqERp5aYz pic.twitter.com/pDwPRoQL9u
— KCBS 106.9 FM/740 AM (@KCBSRadio) August 17, 2018
Ameen was granted refugee status in the U.S. in 2014 after being accused in Iraq of killing a police officer in a plot linked to ISIS.
In 2018, the Trump administration detained him and sought to extradite him to Iraq to face trial.
However, in 2021, a federal judge ruled the evidence against Ameen was “not plausible” and ordered his release, Reuters reported.
Despite this, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Ameen again under the Biden administration.
Reports indicate that Ameen allegedly failed to disclose ties to a terrorist organization in his refugee application.
Since then, he remained in ICE custody, according to The Handbasket.
When contacted by Reuters, the U.S. State Department declined to comment on Ameen’s case.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor a spokesperson for the Rwandan government responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.