Overview
- Kosovo’s Interior Ministry said one individual has arrived from the United States and been granted temporary protection, with authorities overseeing access to services during the stay.
- Under a June agreement with the Trump administration, Kosovo agreed to temporarily host up to 50 people the U.S. seeks to deport to facilitate their return to their home countries.
- Prime Minister Albin Kurti acknowledged the initial arrivals in a television interview, and the government has framed the accord as a gesture of thanks to Washington.
- The development comes as Washington criticizes Kurti’s treatment of the Serb minority and his party’s role in blocking a Serbian party from contesting the December 28 election.
- Kosovo joins Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan in accepting U.S.-expelled individuals, as Europe advances rules on transfers to “safe” third countries and rights groups raise legal concerns.