US sends 15 South Americans to the Democratic Republic of Congo on deportation flight

A flight departed Louisiana, Estados Unidos, and arrived on Friday, April 17, at Kinshasa international airport, República Democrática Congo. The aircraft was carrying at least 15 South Americans, men and women, from Peru, Equador and Colômbia. Eles are asylum seekers detained by Serviço of Imigração and Controle of Aduanas from the USA.

The group represents the first shipment under an agreement signed in early April between the government of Donald Trump and the Congolese authorities. The deportees do not have Congolese nationality. Eles will stay temporarily in the African country until their eventual return to their countries of origin. The process can take months.

Acordo allows transfer to nation without direct link

The understanding between Washington and Kinshasa allows the US to send immigrants without ties to the DRC. The African country agrees to receive the deportees on a temporary basis. Fontes officials indicate that the initial logistics and hosting costs are borne by Estados Unidos.

Last Friday’s flight marked the beginning of operations. Até At the moment, the 15 South Americans remain in a hotel near Kinshasa airport. Eles are under surveillance by local police. Organização Internacional for Migrações provides humanitarian assistance to the group.

• The deportees originate mainly from Peru, Equador and Colômbia
• Peruvian Sete were confirmed by Ministério of Relações Exteriores of Peru
• Peru mentioned voluntary adherence to the process within the bilateral agreement
• Autoridades Congolese women classify their stay as temporary
• Similar Acordos already exist with other African countries

Prática of deportations to third countries gains scale

Os Estados Unidos have expanded deportation partnerships on África. Países like Suazilândia, Gana, Camarões, Libéria, Ruanda, Sudão of Sul and Uganda already participate in similar arrangements. DRC joins this list. The next possible destination is República Centro-Africana, according to recent reports.

Relatório from the Democratic team of Comissão of Relações Exteriores of the American Senado points out that the USA spent at least 40 million dollars to deport around 300 immigrants to nations without family, linguistic or legal ties. The numbers cover operations until the beginning of 2026.

Muitos deportees have protection orders from Justiça in the USA. Elas prevent, in theory, direct return to countries of origin due to risk of persecution. The third country mechanism makes it possible to bypass this restriction. Migrants are held in temporary custody until a final decision is made on their asylum requests.

Condições transfer generate restriction reports

Depoimentos of migrants in previous operations describe using handcuffs on the waist, hands and feet during transport. A Nigerian man deported to Gana in 2025 reported tight straitjacket and lack of communication with lawyers. Ele sought refuge in the US in 2019 for political reasons.

Advogados of some of the 15 South Americans sent to the DRC question security at their destination. A legal representative of a Colombian woman stated that the client has no ties or support network in Kinshasa. The lawyer classified the situation as detention in a hotel.

The DRC is experiencing internal armed conflict in several regions. Especialistas in international law reminds us that the US must guarantee minimum security conditions in the third country. The prohibition of repatriation to risky locations is a consolidated norm.

Reações from Latin American governments and entities

Peru was the first country to confirm the presence of seven citizens on the flight. Ministério of the Peruvian Relações Exteriores indicated that the nationals voluntarily joined the process. Críticos point out the absence of firmer questioning about the conditions of the transfer.

Advogados and human rights organizations classify the removals as violations of personal freedom and due process. Eles cite a lack of transparency regarding the whereabouts of those deported to family members. The IOM offers an assisted voluntary return option, but legal representatives see indirect pressure.

The US government defends the power to deport people without legal status. The measure aims to relieve the prison system after mass arrests. Analistas note that the mechanism speeds up removals of migrants with pending asylum applications.

Histórico of African Partnerships with the US

Acordos readmission or transfer with third countries is not new. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguai, Equador and Belize already participate in similar initiatives. Expansion to African nations has gained pace in recent months.

Especialistas like Cécile Blouin, from Instituto from Democracia and Direitos Humanos from Pontifícia Universidade Católica from Peru, highlight that the arrangements disregard minimum standards of protection for refugees. Ela mentions opacity in the signature of some protocols.

Moisés Montiel, professor of international law at México, explains that American domestic law prevails in cases without clear humanitarian protection. Mesmo therefore, the rule against sending to unsafe locations remains valid when there is evidence of risk.

The episode reinforces the tightening trend in US immigration policy. The focus is on reducing the backlog of detainees and accelerating decisions on irregular stays. The 15 South Americans in the DRC represent the first concrete test of the agreement with Kinshasa.