Deported Latino Migrants in Congo Say They Are Not Free to Leave, 'We Want to Go but They Won't Let Us'

Fifteen migrants of Latin American descent were deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo last week under a Trump administration agreement allowing deportations to third countries.

Just days after arriving in the war-torn nation, Noticias Telemundo spoke with two of the deportees, who said their stay has been a nightmare.

Jorge Cubillos, 42, and Carlos Rodelo, 43, both Colombian nationals, were able to leave their hotel in Kinshasa, the capital, for the first time after four days inside.

Asked by Telemundo to describe their first impression of the city, they pointed to "insecurity, misery, poverty."

"In our countries or cities, even in the poorest neighborhoods, you don't see what you see here," Rodelo said.

According to Telemundo, the 15 deportees are staying at a property under a program run by the International Organization for Migration, a U.N.-affiliated agency.

The group said the Congolese government requested assistance "providing humanitarian support" for the migrants deported from the United States last week. The organization also said it would offer "assistance for voluntary return" for those who request it.

The organization declined to provide further details on the process or how long the migrants may remain in the country, Telemundo reported.

Asked whether they are being held as detainees or are free to leave, Cubillos described the situation as contradictory.

"They tell us we are completely free, that we shouldn't be afraid, that we are fully protected. But we want to leave and they don't let us," he said.

"We are prisoners, with the freedom to have a phone and technology, that's it," Rodelo said.

A recent report by Democratic staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cited by The Associated Press, found the Trump administration has spent at least $40 million to deport about 300 migrants to third countries.

In some cases, countries accepting deportees have received millions of dollars in return, according to State Department documents. In this case, Congolese officials said the arrangement would come at no cost to their government, with the United States covering logistical expenses.

Migrant advocates and attorneys have denounced the Trump administration's decision to send detainees to countries where their safety may be at risk, saying the policy places people in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environments.

For Rodelo, his situation still doesn't seem real.

"It's terrible, brother," Rodelo said. "Sometimes I wake up and think I'm in my room, thinking all of this is a lie, that it's a dream."