Kosovo has begun accepting migrants the United States wants to deport, Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced as Washington steps up efforts to enforce its immigration policies.
According to Kurti, the first one or two individuals covered by the agreement have already arrived. In June, Kosovo agreed to take in up to 50 people identified by U.S. authorities before they are sent to their home countries.
“We are accepting those whom the United States does not want on its territory,” Kurti said in a television interview, without providing further details.
The Balkan nation has traditionally been a close U.S. ally since declaring independence from Serbia in 2008. As part of its alignment with Washington, Kosovo has marked its capital with U.S. flags and named streets after former U.S. presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, with a statue honoring Clinton.
The decision to accept deportees comes amid a broader U.S. campaign against illegal migration. Kosovo joins a growing list of countries cooperating with the United States to take in individuals that the U.S. wants to deport.
The agreement was intended to show Kosovo’s “eternal gratitude” for the support it has received from the United States.
