U.S. Foreign Policy and Africa

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced it will begin receiving some migrants this month under the Trump administration’s third‑country deportation program, making it the latest African state to take in people being removed from the United States to countries that are not their own. Congo’s Ministry of Communications framed the deal as a "temporary" arrangement reflecting its commitment to "human dignity and international solidarity," and said the U.S. government will cover all logistics and costs. The article notes that Washington has already struck similar agreements with at least seven other African countries, and that a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic staff report estimated the administration has spent at least $40 million to deport about 300 migrants to such third countries. Lawyers and advocates are raising alarms that some of those routed through these deals have U.S. immigration judge protection orders barring return to their home countries, and that several partner governments — including Eswatini, South Sudan and Equatorial Guinea — have poor human‑rights records, intensifying concern that the U.S. is offloading legal and moral obligations onto often‑repressive regimes.