Trump expands third-country deportation push

Migrants subject to US “immigration mechanisms” will begin arriving in the DR Congo this month, Kinshasa has said

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) will begin receiving third-country nationals deported from the US under a “temporary” arrangement, the government has said, despite a worsening security and humanitarian crisis in the Central African country.

In a statement on Sunday, the Congolese Ministry of Communications said the deportees would start arriving this month and will be housed in facilities in the capital, Kinshasa.

“Logistical and technical support for this program will be provided by the US… No financial burden will be borne by the treasury of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the ministry stated.

The statement did not specify how many deportees Congo has agreed to take from the US.

Since returning to office last year, US President Donald Trump has reinstated a range of hardline immigration measures. His administration has struck controversial deals with several African countries – including Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Cameroon, and South Sudan – to transfer migrants Washington deems ineligible to remain in the US.

READ MORE: US deports more migrants to Africa

Washington has spent more than $40 million deporting about 300 people to third countries, AP reported. The policy has faced legal challenges in the US, but deportations have continued after higher courts allowed the Trump administration to proceed with third-country removals.

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Last Thursday, the Uganda Law Society said a group of 12 people deported from the US had arrived in the East African country. The lawyers condemned the move as “an advanced plot to forcibly remove... and effectively dump” migrants in Uganda through an “undignified, harrowing and dehumanizing process.” 

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, an AU body, also warned late last year that such deals could expose migrants to heightened risks of rights violations.

The one with Kinshasa comes as the Trump administration pushes for a peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda, alongside a separate arrangement securing US access to Congolese critical minerals.

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Eastern DR Congo has seen escalating violence between M23 rebels and government forces since early last year, with 6.9 million people displaced, according to estimates by the UN Refugee Agency.

The Congolese Communications Ministry said the plan with Washington to receive deportees reflects Kinshasa’s commitment to “human dignity and international solidarity” and to the “values of hospitality and shared responsibility among nations.”