US deportees leave DRC for home countries

More than half of a group of South American migrants deported by the United States to Kinshasa have now left the Democratic Republic of Congo for their countries of origin, the Congolese government said on Friday.

As part of a US immigration crackdown, 15 men and women from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru arrived by plane in Kinshasa on April 17. They were the first deportees to reach the central African country under a US migration scheme to send undocumented foreign nationals to third countries.

DR Congo is one of several African nations that have agreed to take in deported migrants, often with US financial or logistical support. The country is one of the world’s poorest, with nearly three‑quarters of its population living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

“To date, more than half of the 15 nationals admitted to the national territory on April 17 under this arrangement have already left the Democratic Republic of Congo to return to their countries of origin,” the communications ministry said in a statement. “Other departures will take place shortly as part of the implementation of the scheme.”

The arrival of the South Americans in Kinshasa, a megacity of more than 17 million people where most residents lack reliable access to running water or electricity, sparked criticism from civil society and on social media.

Human Rights Watch said in September that US deportations carried out under such “opaque deals” violate international law and should be rejected.

SOURCE: AFP