Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced that the country has agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States who are not themselves Congolese, under a deal effective from this month. The Ministry of Communication stated that a temporary reception system has been established, with facilities selected in the capital, Kinshasa, to accommodate arrivals.
The official statement noted that “logistical and technical support” will be provided by the US, while the Congolese government will bear no financial cost for the scheme. The government did not specify how many deportees would be accepted, but the US has already sent deportees to several other African countries as part of Washington’s crackdown on immigration.
Amid concerns that migrants could be returned to their home countries, Congolese officials asserted that no such transfers are planned. The statement read that the decision to receive so-called third-country migrants – those from neither the sending nor receiving nation – aligns with DRC’s commitment to human dignity, international solidarity, and protecting migrant rights.
The Congolese authorities also emphasized that the scheme is not a “permanent relocation mechanism or an outsourcing of migration policies.” The US State Department, while not commenting on “diplomatic communications with other governments,” claimed that the administration remains “unwavering” in its “commitment to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America’s border security.”
The Trump administration has deported dozens of people to third countries since taking power in January last year as part of its hard-line approach to immigration. Human rights campaigners have condemned the policy, with some questioning its legality. DRC is joining other continental states, including Eswatini, Ghana, and South Sudan, in receiving deportees from the US.
Last week, eight people from different African countries were deported to Uganda. According to a minority report from the US Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations, the Trump administration has “likely” spent over $40 million (£30 million) on third-country deportations up to January 2026, although the total cost is “unknown.” The US has also provided “directly” more than $32 million to five countries – Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini, and Palau.
The US is also negotiating a minerals deal with DRC to help gain access to the central African country’s vast reserves of key metals such as cobalt, tantalum, lithium, and copper. Under Trump, the US has facilitated a peace deal between DRC and Rwanda, although implementation remains a challenge.
Source: www.bbc.com