Nine of the 15 migrants deported by the United States to the Democratic Republic of Congo under a controversial third-country agreement have already left the country, raising fresh questions about the long-term viability of the arrangement.
The migrants arrived in Kinshasa on April 17 after Washington and the Congolese government reached a deal allowing the Central African nation to receive migrants deported from the United States despite them having no nationality ties to DR Congo.
The arrangement attracted international attention at the time, with critics questioning why migrants from Latin America were being sent thousands of kilometers away to a country facing its own security and humanitarian challenges.
According to information released by the Congolese government, a Colombian migrant still living in Kinshasa and his lawyer, nine of the migrants have now departed.
Those who have left include four Peruvian nationals and five Colombians.
The six remaining migrants consist of three Colombians and three Ecuadorians.
Congolese authorities did not specify whether the departures were voluntary. However, one of the Colombian migrants told Reuters that seven of those who left received assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), while two others arranged their own travel.
The development comes less than two months after the migrants were flown into Kinshasa under the agreement announced by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
At the time, the policy was presented as part of Washington’s efforts to expand deportation options by partnering with countries willing to receive migrants from third nations.
The group’s arrival in April sparked debate among migration experts and human rights advocates, many of whom questioned both the legal and practical implications of relocating migrants to countries where they had no family ties, community networks, or previous residence.
The latest departures suggest that many of those sent to DR Congo may have viewed the country as a temporary stop rather than a final destination.
Whether the remaining six migrants will stay in DR Congo or eventually return to their countries of origin remains unclear.
The Congolese government has not announced whether it plans to continue receiving additional third-country deportees from the United States under the agreement.
The issue is likely to remain under scrutiny as governments around the world explore new approaches to migration management, while rights groups continue to question policies that transfer migrants far from their home countries.
The departures also revive questions first raised when the group landed in Kinshasa in April: if most migrants eventually return home anyway, what lasting role can third-country deportation agreements play in solving migration challenges?
