BURKINA FASO has forcefully rejected multiple attempts by the Trump administration to use the West African nation as a dumping ground for third-country deportees, with its foreign minister condemning the proposals as unworthy and indecent.
Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore has disclosed that Ouagadougou had refused repeated approaches from Washington seeking to deport foreigners to Burkina Faso as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown targeting millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States.
“Burkina Faso is not a land of deportation,” Traore told national broadcasters, sharply rebuking the American overtures.
The foreign minister warned that his country’s recent decision to eliminate visa fees for all Africans “should not be seen as an opportunity for a third country to get rid of certain populations that it considers undesirable.”
The Trump administration has aggressively sought to expand deportations to third countries, particularly in Africa, as it pursues mass removals of immigrants living illegally in the United States. Burkina Faso’s neighbor Ghana agreed in September to accept West African nationals deported by the U.S., though Ghana maintained it received nothing in return and was not endorsing Trump’s policies.
Traore did not reveal what compensation, if any, the United States offered Burkina Faso for accepting the deportees.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the deportation proposals. The U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou suspended all routine visa services Friday without explanation, redirecting residents to the embassy in Lomé, Togo.
Relations between Washington and Burkina Faso have deteriorated sharply since military officers seized power in two successive coups in 2022. The junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, has pivoted toward Russia while distancing itself from Western powers.
