Kampala, Uganda: The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has petitioned the courts of law, challenging what it describes as a covert and “dehumanising” arrangement between Uganda and the United States to transfer deportees into the East African country under unclear and potentially illegal circumstances.
In a statement released Thursday, April 2, 2026, ULS Vice President Asiimwe Anthony accused authorities of facilitating what he termed an “advanced plot” to forcibly relocate individuals from the United States to Uganda without a clear legal framework.
“The Uganda Law Society 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,” Asiimwe wrote.
Branding the arrangement “another fine mess,” ULS said the deportation plan reduces human beings to commodities. The society said the process is “undignified, harrowing and dehumanising… reducing [deportees] into little more than chattel, for the benefit of unnamed, private interests on either side of the Atlantic.”
“We have been informed that the privately-owned aircraft carrying the deportees is or will soon be airborne and will be touching down at Entebbe International Airport today,” the statement reads, underscoring the urgency of its court action.
According to ULS, the arrangement was not subjected to any known legal or institutional process in Uganda. “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 have been engaged regarding this matter.”
Lawyers argue that such a significant international arrangement should have undergone parliamentary scrutiny and formal policy approval, and that the absence of that transparency has fueled suspicion that the deal may have been executed outside established legal frameworks.
ULS also raised an alarm over the possible involvement of private contractors allegedly profiting from the deportation process. “Private contractors… are falling over themselves to cash in on the suffering of fellow human beings,” the statement reads.
Asiimwe noted that the Radical New Bar has now petitioned courts in Uganda and the region to urgently intervene and halt the deportation process. “Towards a remedy, we have approached the Courts of Law… seeking reliefs designed to arrest this patent international illegality,” he said. “We urge the media and the public… to stir discussion on this matter until it is either halted or reversed.”
The Deal Under Scrutiny
The legal challenge is linked to a broader deportation framework reportedly agreed upon in 2025, under which Uganda could accept “third-country nationals”—migrants denied asylum in the United States but unable to return to their home countries.
While Uganda is said to retain discretion over acceptance, key aspects of the deal, including the number of deportees, timelines, and reintegration frameworks, remain unclear.
At roughly 1.7 million, Uganda already hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, according to the United Nations, and is the latest East African country to announce such a deal with Washington, joining Rwanda and South Sudan.
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