Bloomberg: US asks Serbia to accept deported migrants. They also wanted this from Ukraine

The administration of President Donald Trump is demanding that Serbia and other Balkan countries accept migrants deported from the United States.

Bloomberg writes about this, citing sources.

The White House continues to send requests to countries in the Balkan region, as part of its strategy to find foreign governments willing to accept migrants that Washington is deporting. It is not yet known whether these efforts will be successful.

In May, the US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to revoke the temporary legal status of at least 500 000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, prompting the White House to look for possible destinations for them.

Serbia is being considered as a possible destination for deportees, partly because of its importance to the Trump family. The capital, Belgrade, is to host a Trump Tower, planned by an investment firm co-founded by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. The Trump Organization has signed a deal to license its brand for the project. Trump has handed over control of the Trump Organization to his two eldest sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The latter also controls his father’s assets in a trust.

In addition, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is a fan of Donald Trump. Even before Trump was in power, Vučić maintained contact with representatives of the MAGA camp, and after his recent victory, he was one of the first to call to congratulate him.

Trumpʼs eldest son has visited Serbia multiple times, and Trumpʼs special representative Richard Grenell was awarded the countryʼs highest civilian honor.

During his most recent visit in late April, Donald Trump Jr. met with Vučić for lunch. The visit was part of a tour of Eastern Europe, during which he explored new business opportunities as executive vice president of the Trump Organization.

Furthermore, agreements to house deported migrants are not new to the Balkan region. Italy previously agreed with Albania to host centres for migrants intercepted trying to cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe. The centres were to be financed by Italy. However, the agreement has run into a number of practical difficulties and has been the subject of legal proceedings in Italy.

• In early May, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration had also asked Ukraine to accept deported migrants.

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