Fifteen South American people deported from the US arrive in DR Congo

The deportees from South America are the first to be sent to the DRC in a deal agreed between Washington and Kinshasa

Fifteen people who were deported from the United States have arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The deportees landed in the capital, Kinshasa, overnight Thursday to Friday as part of an agreement between the US and the DRC.

“The first group, that includes seven women, is made up of nationals from Peru and Ecuador,” a diplomatic source told the Anadolu news agency.

An official at the DRC migration agency confirmed the arrivals but did not provide details, The Associated Press news agency reported.

US lawyer Alma David, who represents one of the deportees, said the deportees are all from Latin America, and the Congolese government plans to keep them in the country for a short period.

All the deportees are believed to have legal protection from US judges shielding them against being returned to their home countries, David told The AP.

The DRC Ministry of Communications announced earlier this month that it would temporarily accept migrants deported from the US.

It said that Washington would cover the costs involved, and that facilities had been prepared near Kinshasa to accommodate them.

The news agency Reuters has reported that the DRC was set to receive more than 30 deportees this week. Other migrants are expected to arrive in groups of about 50 a month, the AFP news agency has reported, citing sources, with the total number to be taken unknown.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that the DRC asked the UN agency for humanitarian assistance with the migrants.

“In addition to offering assistance based on needs and specific assessments, IOM may also offer assisted voluntary return to those migrants who request it, in line with its mandate and applicable legal frameworks,” it told AFP.

Deportation deals

Other countries in Africa, including Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda, have also accepted migrants deported from the US.

The US policy has drawn criticism from rights groups over the legality of sending deportees to countries where they are not from and could face human rights violations.

In some cases, the deportees have been later sent back to their home countries despite receiving legal protection from US courts to prevent that from happening.

The Trump administration is thought to have spent at least $40m to deport about 300 migrants to third countries up to the end of January, according to a report compiled by Democrats on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Countries have received lump sums ranging from $4.7m to $7.5m to receive deportees.

The AP has reported that 47 other third-country agreements are currently being negotiated with other nations.