Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants is impacting documented refugees and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The deportation of 15 Latin American migrants to the DRC marks the implementation of a controversial “third-country” deportation policy by the Trump administration1. This agreement, which involves sending migrants to a nation that is neither their country of origin nor the country they sought to enter, is driven by a complex web of deterrence strategies, geopolitical maneuvering, and economic incentives2.
The primary motivation for the United States is to end “illegal and mass immigration”, bolstering border security through a hard-line approach. By sending deportees to far-flung locations like the DRC, South Sudan, or the Central African Republic, the administration aims to create a tangible form of deterrence for those planning to enter the U.S. illegally3. Furthermore, the US is emboldened to take this opportunity as it is circumventing legal protections. Many of these deportees, such as those from Colombia or Iran, have court-ordered protection against being returned to their home countries due to risks of torture or persecution45. Sending them to a third country allows the U.S. to remove them from American soil without technically violating the specific prohibition against repatriating them to their place of origin.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is complicit in furthering Trump’s agenda. The Congolese government’s motivations are largely transactional and diplomatic. While officials publicly state the deal aligns with their commitment to “human dignity” and “international solidarity,” the underlying incentives are more practical6. First, the DRC is under diplomatic pressure from the US. President Félix Tshisekedi candidly admitted that he agreed to the deal “simply because it’s what the Americans wanted”7. Maintaining a strong relationship with Washington is vital for the DRC, especially regarding security assistance and the mediation of its conflict with Rwanda-backed rebels (M23). The DRC has framed the stay of these migrants as “temporary,” issuing short-stay tourist visas that do not allow the deportees to work8. This allows the government to claim it is not facilitating a permanent “outsourcing” of U.S. migration policy.
In comparison, Burkina Faso’s military government has refused to take in deportees from the US. This rift made Washington suspend issuing visas to the African nation, placing pressure on their divergence of complicity. The foreign affairs minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré viewed the decision as a coercive exchange, even referring to the event as “blackmail”9. Unlike Congo, Burkina Faso retains its sovereignty, thus illustrating a stark image of standing up to Western neo-imperial efforts, and choosing instead to champion the values of pan-Africanism and nationalism10.
Despite the strategic motivations of the two governments, the reality for the deportees is one of “conflict, uncertainty and fear”. Many of the 15 migrants, mostly from Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, arrived in Kinshasa shackled at the hands and feet11, unaware of their destination until they were in the air. Critics within the DRC have denounced the policy, calling it a “dumping ground”12for U.S. security/migration policies and questioning why a nation already struggling with seven million internally displaced persons would accept foreign deportees. Ultimately, the deal reflects a shift toward migration as a commodity, where the U.S. and other Western nations trade financial aid and diplomatic favors for the right to house, and process asylum seekers beyond U.S borders13.
Written by Mitchell Swan
References:
1 https://bbc.com/news/articles/cp84rye3lg8o
2 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp84rye3lg8o
3https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5798775/drc-latin-america-deportees-asylum-migratio
4 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/world/africa/deportation-congo-migrants-trump.html
6 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp84rye3lg8o
7 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/world/africa/deportation-congo-migrants-trump.html
8 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp84rye3lg8o
9 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lx5r2z475o
10 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lx5r2z475o
11 https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5798775/drc-latin-america-deportees-asylum-migration
12 https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5798775/drc-latin-america-deportees-asylum-migration