Less than two weeks after the Trump administration reached a deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo to accept migrants under its third-country program, the first group of deportees arrived in the war-torn nation on April 17.
About 15 migrants of Latin American origin were deported to Congo and arrived Friday, according to a lawyer who spoke to The Associated Press.
According to Alma David, a U.S. attorney representing one of the deportees, the Congolese government plans to keep them in the country for a limited period. Upon arrival, the country's migration agency did not provide details on where the deportees would be held or under what conditions.
David told The Associated Press that all 15 deportees are believed to have legal protections from U.S. judges preventing their return to their home countries. They are currently believed to be staying at a hotel in Kinshasa, the country's capital.
The Trump administration has reached agreements with seven African nations to accept third-country deportees. Several of those countries are among the most affected by the administration's policies restricting trade, aid and migration.
Some, including Eswatini, South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have faced criticism over repressive governments and poor human rights records, raising concerns among lawyers and activists about the safety of deportees and the nature of the agreements.
Last month, the United States deported a gay Moroccan woman to her home country, where same-sex relationships are illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison.
The woman fled Morocco fearing for her life and undertook a months-long journey from Brazil to the U.S. border, where she sought asylum. Identified by The Associated Press as Farah, she said she was detained for nearly a year, first in Arizona and then in Louisiana, before her asylum request was denied.
In August, a U.S. immigration judge granted Farah protection from deportation to Morocco, ruling that returning her would put her life at risk.
Farah said she was three days away from a hearing on her release when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents handcuffed her and placed her on a flight to Cameroon, where same-sex relationships are also illegal.
"They asked me if I wanted to stay in Cameroon, and I told them that I can't stay there and risk my life in a place where I would still be in danger," she said.
David told The Associated Press that the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations-affiliated agency, will be involved in offering what it describes as "assisted voluntary return" to deportees sent to Congo.
An IOM spokesperson said the organization is providing humanitarian assistance to the deportees at the request of the Congolese government. It added that it may also offer assisted voluntary return, which it described as "strictly voluntary and based on free, prior and informed consent."
"The fact that the focus is on offering them 'voluntary' return to their home country when they spent months in immigration detention in the U.S. fighting not to be sent back is very alarming," David said.
According to a recently released report by Democratic staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee cited by The Associated Press, 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 latest case, Congolese officials said the effort would come at no cost to their government, with the United States covering the logistical expenses.
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