Mnangagwa backs Trump’s mass deportations of illegal immigrants

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa is backing the move by the Trump administration to deport masses of illegal immigrants from the US, including at least 500 Zimbabweans. 

President Donald Trump, a Republican, returned to the White House in January promising to deport millions of immigrants who are in the US illegally.

In a post on X, President Mnangagwa said his government supported the US deportations. 

“The government of Zimbabwe supports the United States government’s decision to repatriate and return our Zimbabwean citizens who may have been residing in the United States,” the president wrote.

On January 22, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was granted authority to arrest illegal immigrants found in or near sensitive areas such as churches, hospitals and schools.

The Trump administration has started flights to countries such as Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, India and Venezuela to return the undocumented immigrants.

According to an ICE report released late last year, there were 545 non-detained Zimbabwean citizens facing deportation, who were waiting for final orders in November.

Washington has encouraged foreign governments to take their citizens back when they are deported.

“Every country is obligated to accept the return of its citizens and nationals, who are ineligible to remain in the United States,” the ICE report said.

“Lack of cooperation from the foreign government delays and, in many cases, inhibits the removal process.”

In November last year, there were 1.44 million non-citizens on ICE’s “non-detained docket with final orders of removal,” with the highest numbers coming from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.

It is estimated that three million Zimbabweans left the country in the past two decades to seek better economic fortunes in countries such as the US, United Kingdom and South Africa during the rule of the late Robert Mugabe.

Most of the Zimbabwean immigrants, who escaped political persecution, remain undocumented.

But it is not that Zimbabwe could say no to deportees. Trump has arm-twisted countries that try to reject deportees. The Colombian government last month initially refused the deportees but accepted them after Trump threatened sanctions, visa revocation and tariffs on Colombian exports to the US. Other countries have had to quietly accept their nationals without a fight.

Since coming to power after the coup that toppled Mr Mugabe in 2017, President Mnangagwa has in the past reached some agreements with the UK to deport some undocumented Zimbabweans.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean government has also been celebrating President Trump's decision to pause foreign aid despite the fact that the US has been funding most of the country’s HIV/Aids response and feeding millions of people in the aftermath of the El Nino-induced drought.

Following the directive to pause foreign assistance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) immediately stopped its programmes in Zimbabwe.

On January 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver to all implementing US government agencies, partners, and NGOs to continue or resume work for core life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance.

The US embassy in Harare on Wednesday said it was reviewing its programmes to bring them in line with President Trump’s executive order and the waiver.

“The United States is proud of the gains we have helped Zimbabwe make in health, food security, and development,” the embassy said in a statement.

“Today, 1.2 million Zimbabweans live longer, healthier lives because of Pepfar’s support for HIS services.

“More than 500,000 Zimbabweans have benefited from US humanitarian assistance during the El Nino-induced drought. “Over 1600 public hospitals and clinics have benefited from training and technical support from the United States.”

Zimbabwe accuses USAID and other US government agencies of sponsoring alleged regime change programmes in the country under the guise of promoting human rights.

Local Government minister Daniel Garwe said the suspension of US humanitarian assistance would make Zimbabweans more patriotic.

“I am very happy and grateful for what President Donald Trump is doing. He has banned all the aid in Africa,” Mr Garwe said.

“We will develop our own country and not be used to turn against your country through aid or foreign funding.”

Donors provide food to over half of Zimbabwe’s population of 16 million people due to successive droughts and a struggling economy.