'I didn't know where DR Congo was': Latin Americans deported by US tell BBC of their shock

For 8 years, Jorge Cubillos worked to physique a caller beingness successful the US, aft fleeing threats successful his location state of Colombia.

He says helium had a enactment permit, and had been granted extortion from deportation nether Article 3 of the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT).

But abruptly Cubillos was enactment connected a formation to the Democratic Republic of Congo, immoderate 10,700 km (6,700 miles) distant from his woman and 4 children successful Florida.

"I ne'er thought I would extremity up successful Africa. I thought they were conscionable threats," helium told BBC Mundo.

Speaking by telephone from his edifice country successful the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, helium says helium has nary thought what the aboriginal holds.

Cubillos is 1 of a radical of 15 migrants and asylum seekers from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador deported from the US to the cardinal African state past month.

While the US authorities accidental they were deported due to the fact that they were successful the state illegally, immoderate of them told the BBC their asylum applications were pending and truthful they did person the close to stay.

They are the archetypal to get successful DR Congo nether a arguable statement with 3rd countries signed by US President Donald Trump's administration.

His committedness of wide deportations was cardinal to his re-election campaign.

Another of the deportees, Carlos Rodelo, says helium lone learned of his last destination conscionable hours earlier the formation took off.

"When they told maine they were sending maine to the Congo, I told them I didn't adjacent cognize what that was oregon wherever it was."

He says helium spent 8 months successful detention successful Louisiana earlier being deported - contempt a tribunal antecedently ruling helium could stay successful the country.

The Trump medication has defended its deportations to different alleged 3rd countries arsenic being lawful and mutually beneficial to some countries.

DR Congo says it agreed to judge migrants from 3rd countries due to the fact that it was committed to quality dignity, the extortion of migrants' rights, and planetary solidarity.

The Congolese authorities says the migrants' enactment successful the state is impermanent and that their attraction and enactment is being paid for by the US.

The BBC has asked the US State Department for comment.

The migrants and asylum seekers interviewed by BBC Mundo accidental the conditions are unacceptable, with predominant powerfulness cuts and a deficiency of drinking water.

"We person fever, vomiting and diarrhoea. They archer america it's mean and our bodies are conscionable adapting to Africa," Cubillos told the BBC soon aft arriving.

They person present been successful the aforesaid edifice for a period but accidental small has changed and they are inactive getting sick.

"We person not been fixed immoderate accusation astir however agelong we volition beryllium present oregon erstwhile we volition beryllium leaving. We're perpetually sick and don't privation to devour the nutrient provided, arsenic it makes america consciousness worse. Our wellness is deteriorating. We're receiving aesculapian assistance, but it isn't enough," Cubillos says.

The mid-range flat edifice wherever they are staying is connected the outskirts of Kinshasa, adjacent the planetary airdrome successful the Mikindo district, 1 of the poorest successful the city.

However, the deportees tin marque usage of its shot pitch, tennis tribunal and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. At slightest 2 constabulary officers basal defender extracurricular and the BBC was denied support to enter.

One subordinate of unit told the BBC they person sometimes played shot with the deportees.

"I was disquieted astir them being criminals. But, with time, I person travel to recognize that they are conscionable similar our ain citizens, besides trying marque a surviving extracurricular the country."

"They are each bully radical and they person started picking up a fewer words successful Lingala [the main connection successful Kinshasa]," they said.

Pressed by the BBC astir the swimming excavation and different facilities astatine the hotel, Cubillos said that though from the extracurricular it mightiness look similar they are surviving beauteous well, that was not the case. "We've lone utilized the excavation once, connected a truly blistery day. Most of the time, we're stuck successful our rooms."

He added that, stuck successful an unfamiliar country, thousands of miles from home, wherever the main languages are French and Lingala and fewer radical talk English oregon Spanish, determination is conscionable "nothing to do".

"We walk our days unopen in, unsocial with our thoughts, our problems, and the changeless interest astir what's going to hap to us."

Despite being told they were escaped to permission the premises, the Latin American deportees accidental that is not the reality, and adjacent if they could, determination is "nowhere to spell anyway".

The radical says they person been allowed retired conscionable a fewer times, accompanied by information guards, to spot parts of the metropolis oregon to spell shopping.

All of those sent to DR Congo contradict committing immoderate crimes successful the US.

Marta - whose sanction has been changed for fearfulness of reprisals - says the "lack of information" and not knowing what is going to happen, is besides affecting them "emotionally and psychologically".

She tells BBC Mundo she was detained little than 2 months aft she was released nether a supervision bid successful February, aft a agelong ineligible conflict during which she spent 14 months successful detention. She says she has ne'er been accused of thing different than contravening migration laws.

When US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents showed up astatine her Texas location to verify her code and instrumentality her to an migration bureau to beryllium fitted with a GPS monitor, she did not fishy thing - until they enactment handcuffs connected her.

Marta describes being held successful solitary confinement for astir 2 days astatine 1 point.

"They locked maine successful a room. They didn't springiness maine nutrient oregon water. It was precise cold," she says, adding that her household didn't cognize wherever she was.

And aft being vaccinated against yellowish fever and transferred to Louisiana, she was told she had a formation to DR Congo the adjacent day.

Human Rights Research Institute (IRDH) manager and quality rights lawyer Hubert Tshiswaka says the statement betwixt DR Congo and the US breaks planetary commitments connected exile protection.

"There is nary ineligible ground to bring radical from different countries to the Congo, particularly from the United States," helium tells BBC Mundo.

Marta says determination is simply a batch of "misinformation" online, with immoderate calling them criminals who "deserve what's happening" to them, but "that's not right".

According to Tshiswaka - and the radical - they person done "nothing incorrect here, truthful determination is besides nary ineligible ground for holding them successful detention".

BBC Mundo has contacted ICE for comment.

"Here I am, successful the Congo," Marta says. "How bash I consciousness now? I consciousness that our quality rights person been violated."

"We consciousness wholly adrift. We don't cognize what's going to hap to us."

Even the travel to Kinshasa was "inhumane", the radical says.

"We spent much than 25 hours tied astatine the waist, hands, and feet, with a insubstantial container that had an apple, immoderate chips and a vessel of h2o inside," Cubillos says. "It was terrible."

Rodelo says that a Maryland justice granted him extortion nether The UN Convention Against Torture (CAT) successful February 2025.

Months later, erstwhile helium was summoned to an migration bureau to motion documents, helium was detained.

"Three ICE agents were virtually hiding, waiting for me," helium explains.

When helium told them helium had approved asylum and CAT protection, Rodelo says: "They told maine they were taking maine 1 mode oregon another."

During his detention, helium says helium filed further extortion requests, but was deported earlier a national justice could regularisation connected them.

According to the DHS, Rodelo had been issued with a "final bid of removal for violating the presumption of his parole" successful February, the period helium says helium was granted CAT protection.

"[The] Trump medication is utilising each lawful options to transportation retired the largest deportation cognition successful history, conscionable arsenic President Trump promised," the connection said. "Anyone who has been deported received afloat owed process."

One Colombian pistillate who asked to enactment anonymous, says she is unsure she would ever privation to instrumentality to the US, wherever beingness has go "scary".

"After everything that's happened and everything I've suffered, who tin guarantee maine that I won't spell done this again and that successful the aboriginal they won't nonstop maine to different country?" she asks.

Cubillos accidental the deportees are being fixed 2 options - enactment successful the hotel, oregon spell backmost home.

He adds that 1 Colombian couldn't header with the concern immoderate longer and has decided to spell backmost home, astatine his ain expense.

But helium says this is not imaginable for astir of them.

"If I had to take betwixt the Congo and Barranquilla [in] Colombia - wherever I'm from - I would take Barranquilla, due to the fact that present I'm not doing anything," helium says.

"But going backmost to Barranquilla would enactment my beingness astatine risk," helium adds.

"Asylum seekers are astatine hazard successful our countries."

Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno successful Kinshasa