USA05 June, 20262 min read
DR Congo Agrees To Host Trump-Era Expelled Migrants In Kinshasa
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DR Congo agrees to host non-Congolese migrants expelled from the United States. About 15 Latin Americans deported in April are affected.
Congo deal takes effect
The Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to host migrants expelled from the United States who are not themselves Congolese, as part of an agreement that came into force this month, according to officials. The BBC reported that the Ministry of Communications said a temporary reception system had been set up and that facilities intended to house the arrivals had been selected in the capital, Kinshasa.
The BBC also said a logistical and technical support would be provided by the United States, while the Congolese government would bear no financial cost under the arrangement. In parallel, the Associated Press reported that more than half of the 15 Latin Americans deported in April to Congo under the Trump administration’s crackdown have returned to their countries of origin, with U.S. immigration judges ruling they were likely to face persecution back home.
Judges, lawyers, and courts
The Associated Press said Alma David, a U.S.-based attorney representing one of the 15 migrants, stated that eight deportees have returned to their home countries in recent weeks. David said, “The fact that they chose to return there anyway raises serious concerns that they likely felt backed into a corner because no viable alternative was presented to them,” framing the returns as constrained by the lack of alternatives.
The BBC reported that Congolese authorities said no transfer was planned to migrants’ country of origin, where some fear they may be persecuted. The BBC also noted that human rights advocates have condemned the policy and that some have challenged its legality, while the BBC said it had contacted the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security in Washington for comment but had not yet received a response.
Third-country deportations expand
The Associated Press said Congo is one of at least eight African nations with which the U.S. has struck third-country deportation deals, with advocates saying the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own. The Associated Press reported that four Peruvians and three Colombians returned home earlier this week, assisted by the International Organization for Migration, and that they returned via the IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return program.
The Associated Press quoted the IOM as saying assisted voluntary returns are “strictly voluntary and based on free, prior and informed consent,” while the Congolese government said the developments confirm the “strictly transitional, temporary, and time-limited nature of this mechanism.” The BBC added that the DRC joins other countries on the continent, notably Eswatini, Ghana, and South Sudan, in hosting people expelled from the United States, and it said last week eight people from various African countries were expelled to Uganda.