Kosovo's acting government approved a measure to "temporarily" accept migrants deported from the United States as part of resettling them to a third country.
Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti said after the government voted to accept the measure that the stay of up to 50 migrants -- who will return to their countries of origin -- will be managed and coordinated by the Minister of Internal Affairs.
"The Government of Kosovo will have the ability to select individuals from a proposed pool, provided they meet specific criteria related to the rule of law and public order," he said in a social media post.
Last week, the US government announced that countries in the Balkans have been included in contacts within a broader US strategy for the deportation of foreign nationals.
Bloomberg News reported on June 5 that the Trump administration was pressuring Serbia and other Balkan countries to accept migrants deported by the United States.
Last month, the US Supreme Court allowed the administration to revoke temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua living in the United States, strengthening the Republican president's efforts to increase deportations.
The housing of migrants has been a controversial topic in Kosovo -- one of Europe's poorest countries that hopes such plans will bring it income and recognition of its strengthening ties to the West -- and around the Balkans in recent months.
Kurti said on June 11 that Kosovo's adoption of the measure shows the "shared values and cooperation" it has with the United States.
"We deeply value their continued support, particularly as we advance toward integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions," he added.
Kosovo had already expressed its willingness to discuss with the United Kingdom a proposal to establish "return centers" in Kosovo for asylum seekers rejected by the British Isles.
The proposal to set up return centers is part of a wider UK strategy to address the growing number of migrants arriving in Britain through illegal routes.
However, Human Rights Watch has expressed concern that using Balkan countries as host countries for migrants could violate their rights and create new challenges for host countries.
In a similar agreement that also sparked criticism, Kosovo and Denmark agreed in 2022 to lease 300 prison cells at the Correctional Institution in Gjilan to house foreign prisoners who are expected to be deported from Denmark after completing their sentences.
