Trump Administration Accused of Using Third-Country Deals to Intimidate

Fifteen South American migrants and asylum seekers, recently deported from the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have reported facing immense pressure to return to their volatile home countries. The group, consisting of women from Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, was sent to Central Africa last week under a controversial "third-country agreement" brokered by the administration of President Donald Trump. According to reports from Reuters and AFP, these women are being left with no viable options other than repatriation to the very nations they fled.

One 29-year-old Colombian woman, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, revealed that she fled her homeland after being kidnapped and tortured by an armed group. Despite a US immigration judge ruling in May 2025 that she would likely face further torture if returned to Colombia, she was included in the deportation flight to the DRC. Advocates point out that sending migrants to a region where they do not speak the language and have no ties is a strategic move to break their resolve.

Human rights organizations have condemned the use of third-country removals as a deliberate tactic of intimidation. Gabriela, a 30-year-old deportee, described a harrowing 27-hour flight to the DRC during which she and others were shackled by their hands and feet. She told AFP that she was only informed of her destination a day before the flight, highlighting a lack of transparency and due process. "I’m scared; I don’t know the language," she said, reflecting the isolation felt by the group in a country currently struggling with its own internal conflicts.

Legal experts argue that the Trump administration’s hardline measures are designed to bypass traditional asylum processes. Alma David, a lawyer representing one of the asylum seekers, stated that the goal is to place individuals in environments so alien and difficult that they choose to return to dangerous situations at home. As the DRC continues to receive deportees under this new deal, critics warn that the US is setting a dangerous precedent by outsourcing its immigration responsibilities to nations with significant human rights concerns.