Fifteen people deported from the United States have arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They landed in the capital, Kinshasa, overnight Thursday to Friday as part of an agreement between the US and the DRC. A diplomatic source told the Anadolu news agency that the first group, which includes seven women, is composed of nationals from Peru and Ecuador.
An official at the DRC migration agency confirmed the arrivals but did not provide details. US lawyer Alma David, who represents one of the deportees, said the deportees are all from Latin America, and the Congolese government plans to keep them in the country for a short period. David told The Associated Press that all the deportees are believed to have legal protection from US judges shielding them against being returned to their home countries.
The DRC Ministry of Communications announced earlier this month that it would temporarily accept migrants deported from the US. It said that Washington would cover the costs involved and that facilities had been prepared near Kinshasa to accommodate them. Reuters reported that the DRC was set to receive more than 30 deportees this week, while AFP, citing sources, indicated that other migrants are expected to arrive in groups of about 50 a month, with the total number unknown.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that the DRC asked the UN agency for humanitarian assistance with the migrants. In a statement to AFP, the IOM said that in addition to offering assistance based on needs and specific assessments, it may also offer assisted voluntary return to those migrants who request it, in line with its mandate and applicable legal frameworks. Other countries in Africa, including Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda, have also accepted migrants deported from the US.
The US policy has drawn criticism from rights groups over the legality of sending deportees to countries where they are not from and could face human rights violations. In some cases, deportees have later been sent back to their home countries despite receiving legal protection from US courts to prevent that from happening. According to a report compiled by Democrats on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Trump administration is thought to have spent at least $40 million to deport about 300 migrants to third countries up to the end of January, with countries receiving lump sums ranging from $4.7 million to $7.5 million to accept deportees. The AP reported that 47 other third-country agreements are currently being negotiated with other nations.
Source: www.aljazeera.com