The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to receive more than 30 deportees from the US this week, four sources told Reuters, the latest example of Washington using agreements with African governments to accelerate migrant removals.
The deportees are all from countries other than Congo, and at least some are from Central and South America, according to one source and US court documents.
One source familiar with the matter said they would total 37, while another put the figure at 45.
They will be the first to land in the Central African country as part of an agreement with US President Donald Trump’s administration announced on April 5, two days after Reuters reported the two countries were negotiating a deal for Congo to receive third-country deportees.
The move coincides with the Trump administration’s efforts to implement a US-brokered peace deal between Congo and Rwanda aimed at ending fighting with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
It also follows the signing of a strategic partnership granting the US preferential access to Congo’s critical minerals.
Hotel to house deportees
Previously, no reports have covered the timing of the deportees’ arrival and how they will be accommodated in Congo.
The deportees are expected to reach Congo by Friday and be housed in a hotel near Kinshasa’s main airport, three of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the move, which has attracted criticism from human rights groups and opposition politicians in Congo.
The US has previously sent third-country deportees to African states, including Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini, drawing criticism from legal experts and rights groups over the legal basis for the transfers and the treatment of deportees sent to countries where they are not nationals.
Some of the deportees were later returned to their home countries despite receiving court-ordered protection in the US meant to prevent that from happening.
A Congolese government spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Kinshasa has previously stressed it will not spend any money as part of its third-country deportees deal with the US.
A State Department spokesperson said Washington had “no comment on the details of our diplomatic communications with other governments”.
Long-term plan unclear
The hotel near the airport in Kinshasa is due to house the deportees for only 10 to 15 days, one of the sources told Reuters. The source was unable to say what will happen to the deportees after that period.
The hotel will remain open to other guests, and the deportees will be free to move around, a diplomat and a senior humanitarian source said.
The deportees will be accommodated in single rooms, with two meals a day provided. Congo’s national police and a private security firm are securing the site.
Neither Washington nor Kinshasa has said how many deportees they would ultimately send to Congo.
The deportees arriving this week will receive assistance from the UN-related International Organisation for Migration (IOM), two sources said.
IOM has also provided assistance to third-country deportees sent from the US to Eswatini and Cameroon.
IOM said in a statement it had no role in the deportations themselves, which it said were handled by the two governments.
It further said it could, at the request of Congolese authorities, provide “post-arrival humanitarian assistance”.
South Americans among deportees
An IOM source told Reuters earlier this month that the US-Congo deportation deal could involve migrants from South America, including Venezuelans.
Reuters identified at least four migrants, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told their lawyers that the agency would deport them to Congo. They are from Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Guatemala.
An April 8 court order from a federal judge in California, reviewed by Reuters, said the US government planned to remove a Peruvian migrant to Congo.
The migrant had his request for asylum rejected but had been granted protection against deportation to Peru because he feared persecution.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is set to receive 30-45 deportees from the US this week, all from third countries, including some from Central and South America, as part of a Trump administration agreement.
- These deportees will stay in a hotel near Kinshasa's main airport for 10 to 15 days, with freedom of movement, meals provided, and security by Congo's national police and a private firm.
- The move coincides with the US-backed peace deal between Congo and Rwanda aimed at ending conflict with Rwandan-backed M23 rebels and follows a strategic partnership granting the US access to Congo's critical minerals.
- Human rights groups, legal experts, and opposition politicians have criticized the deportations, highlighting concerns over the legal basis and treatment of deportees sent to countries where they are not nationals.
- The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will provide post-arrival humanitarian assistance to the deportees but is not involved in the deportations themselves.
One source familiar with the matter said they would total 37, while another put the figure at 45.
It also follows the signing of a strategic partnership granting the US preferential access to
Previously, no reports have covered the timing of the deportees' arrival and how they will be accommodated in
Some of the deportees were later returned to their home countries despite receiving court-ordered protection in the US meant to prevent that from happening.
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A State Department spokesperson said
IOM has also provided assistance to third-country deportees sent from the US to Eswatini and Cameroon.
IOM said in a statement it had no role in the deportations themselves, which it said were handled by the two governments.
It further said it could, at the request of
An IOM source told Reuters earlier this month that the US-
Reuters identified at least four migrants, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told their lawyers that the agency would deport them to
An April 8 court order from a federal judge in California, reviewed by Reuters, said the US government planned to remove a Peruvian migrant to
