A group of 12 people deported from the United States arrived in Uganda under a third-country agreement, while Costa Rica separately agreed to consider regular transfers from U.S. authorities. The two arrangements differ in structure, but both have prompted questions from lawyers and lawmakers about the status and treatment of people sent to a country other than their own.
Ugandan officials described their arrangement as a temporary step before onward movement. Costa Rica's government said its agreement would be voluntary, limited and decided case by case. Legal challenges and political criticism now center on how those terms operate after a flight lands, including where people stay, what status they receive and what options they have.
Ugandan Lawyers Challenge the First Transfer
The first reported group arrived at Entebbe international airport, according to the Uganda Law Society. Its president, Anthony Asiimwe, said the organization planned to challenge the agreement in Ugandan and regional courts. The law society also sought information about the deportees' identities, location and legal status.
Uganda's foreign affairs minister, Henry Okello Oryem, said the country had accepted third-country nationals removed from the United States and described Uganda as a transit point before they returned to their countries of origin. A U.S. embassy spokesperson confirmed that the transfers were conducted in cooperation with Uganda but declined to discuss individual cases or private diplomatic communications.
When the agreement was announced, Uganda excluded people with criminal histories and minors traveling without an adult from the eligible group. Officials did not disclose whether the United States was paying Uganda. The Guardian reported that Uganda was already accommodating almost 2 million refugees and people seeking asylum.
Costa Rica Sets a Weekly Limit and Case Review
Costa Rica agreed to consider up to 25 people a week. The government said it could accept or reject each proposed transfer and would focus on people who are not from Latin America and whose home governments have refused to receive them. People with criminal records would not qualify under the reported terms.
The United States is expected to provide information about each person at least 48 hours before a flight. Costa Rica said accepted deportees would receive a limited humanitarian legal status. U.S. funding would cover accommodation and food, while the International Organization for Migration would help with basic services and information about available options.
Some operating details were unresolved when the agreement became public. The Guardian reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not answer questions about the length of stay, the type of accommodation or what would happen if a person could not return home.
Costa Rica's Earlier Program Shapes the Debate
Costa Rica previously received about 200 people deported from the United States in 2025, including 81 children. They were held at the Temporary Migrant Care Center, known as CATEM, near the border with Panama. The country's Supreme Court later found that the government had breached protections owed to people held there.
That history has become part of the response to the new agreement. Democratic lawmakers in the United States said the plan lacked adequate safeguards, while Costa Rican legislators questioned its legal basis and the government's capacity to receive more people. Those objections are positions advanced by the lawmakers; the agreement itself states that Costa Rica retains discretion over each case.
Different Agreements Leave Different Questions
The Uganda and Costa Rica arrangements are part of a wider U.S. effort to secure destinations for people who cannot readily be returned to their country of citizenship. Other governments, including Eswatini, have also accepted third-country deportees under separate terms. The conditions are not uniform: some arrangements involve detention, financial payments or plans for onward transfer.
For Uganda, the immediate record includes the arrival of 12 people, the government's description of a transit arrangement and a promised court challenge. For Costa Rica, published terms provide a weekly limit, advance notice and case-by-case discretion, but leave practical questions unanswered. Court filings, implementing documents and post-arrival records will determine how those commitments work in individual cases.