U.S. Sends Latin American Deportees To Congo Under Secret Migration Deal
On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, the U.S. began sending Latin American deportees to the Democratic Republic of the Congo under a secret migration deal, leaving migrants stranded and fearful.
The reporting by NPR describes deportees arriving in the capital with little information about their legal status or where they would sleep. Many told reporters, "We don't know what will happen to us."
The episode traces back to a secret agreement between U.S. and Congolese officials to accept migrants removed from U.S. custody, according to NPR. Human rights groups and lawyers warn the transfers raise questions about safety and legal rights. They say migrants may not have been given a meaningful chance to seek protection in the U.S.
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📌 Key Facts
- On April 17, 2026, the U.S. government deported 15 people from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The transfer is described as the first group sent under a previously undisclosed U.S.-Congo migration deal brokered by the Trump administration.
- Deportees interviewed by NPR say they were shackled, were not told the destination until airborne, and some still had pending U.S. immigration cases.
- Congo’s government has said such migrants will stay only temporarily and at U.S. expense but has not specified numbers, timelines, or long-term plans.
- The deportees are being housed near Kinshasa’s airport in poor conditions and lack yellow fever vaccination in a country where the disease is endemic.
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