South American migrants deported to DRC face pressure to return home

Fifteen South American migrants and asylum seekers recently deported from the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) report facing pressure to return to their home countries. Women from Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador stated that since their deportation last week, they have been given no credible options other than going back, despite the risks involved. A 29-year-old Colombian woman, who requested anonymity, expressed, "We feel pressured to agree to go back to our country, regardless of the risks."

The deportees arrived in the DRC as part of a controversial third-country agreement with the Trump administration. Since returning to the presidency, Trump has implemented strict measures to limit immigration and expel immigrants, including those with legal status. Among the deportees, some had sought asylum in the U.S. after fleeing persecution. One woman, whose asylum application noted she was likely to face torture if returned home, was ruled by a U.S. immigration judge to be at high risk.

Gabriela, a 30-year-old Colombian woman, revealed she was informed of her deportation to the DRC just a day before her flight. "I didn’t want to go to Congo. I’m scared; I don’t know the language," she told AFP. Immigration advocates argue that such third-country deportations aim to intimidate migrants into leaving the U.S. by placing them in unfamiliar and dangerous environments. Alma David, a U.S.-based lawyer for one of the asylum seekers, stated, "The goal is clear: Put people in a place so unfamiliar that they give up and agree to return home, despite the immense risk they face there."