15 South American nationals were deported from the U.S. and arrived in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Friday morning.
The arrival highlights a growing reliance on third‑country agreements to move migrants out of the U.S., a practice critics say sidesteps domestic asylum protections—under a deal struck between Washington and Kinshasa, the U.S. can transfer migrants to the DRC for onward processing or resettlement[1].
The agreement, first reported in 2024, allows the U.S. to send migrants who have exhausted legal avenues in U.S. courts to partner nations that have consented to receive them. Officials in both capitals said the arrangement is a way to reduce backlogs in immigration courts and to share responsibility for irregular migration[1].
Al Jazeera said the group consisted of 15 individuals from various South American countries. They were taken off a U.S. flight and flown to N'djili International Airport, where Congolese authorities processed their entry[1]. The arrival occurred in the early hours of Friday, 17 April 2026, as confirmed by airline logs and airport officials[2].
The deportees were escorted to a reception center on the outskirts of Kinshasa, where they will receive basic assistance while their status is reviewed. Congolese officials said the individuals would be placed under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees if they cannot be returned to their home countries[1].
Human‑rights groups said that sending migrants to countries with limited asylum infrastructure could expose them to further risk. They said the U.S. must ensure due process before removal, a point underscored by recent court rulings demanding stricter review of third‑country transfers[1].
The Kinshasa landing is the latest example of Washington's use of bilateral deals to manage migration flows, a strategy also employed with countries in Central America and the Caribbean. Analysts said that while such agreements may ease domestic pressures, they also raise questions about the long‑term sustainability of outsourcing asylum responsibilities[1].
“Fifteen South American nationals arrived in Kinshasa under a U.S.–DRC agreement.”
The Kinshasa arrival signals that the United States is expanding its reliance on third‑country agreements to address immigration backlogs, shifting part of the asylum burden to nations like the DRC. While the strategy may relieve pressure on U.S. courts, it raises legal and humanitarian concerns about due process and the capacity of receiving countries to protect vulnerable migrants.
