Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Democratic Republic of Congo has agreed to accept migrants deported from the US who are not themselves Congolese under a deal effective from this month, officials said, according to BBC.
The Ministry of Communication said a temporary reception system had been set up, while facilities to accommodate arrivals had been selected in the capital, Kinshasa.
“Logistical and technical support” will be provided by the US, the statement on April 5 said, adding that the Congolese government would bear no financial cost for the scheme. The government did not say how many deportees they would accept. Amid concerns that migrants could be returned to their home countries – where some fear persecution – Congolese officials said no such transfers are being planned.
The decision to receive what are known as third-country migrants – that is those who come from neither the sending nor receiving nation – aligns with DR Congo’s commitment to human dignity, international solidarity and to protect the rights of migrants, the statement read.
The Congolese authorities also said that the scheme is not a “permanent relocation mechanism or an outsourcing of migration policies”.
President Donald Trump’s administration has deported dozens of people to third countries since coming into power last January as part of its hard-line approach towards immigration. According to a minority report from the US senate’s committee on foreign relations, the Trump administration has “likely” spent more than $40m in third-country deportations up to January 2026, although the total cost is “unknown”.
The US has provided more than $32m “directly” to five countries – Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini and Palau – it added.
