“Fifteen people deported from the United States arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Al JazeeraNews reportApril 17, 2026Read the original

Reporting on the first group of third-country deportees sent from the US to the DRC.

Our verdict

True

Fifteen South American deportees from the US landed in Kinshasa on 17 April 2026, the first group under a US-DRC deal.

What we found

Al Jazeera, AP and the Global Detention Project all report 15 deportees, mostly from Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, arriving on an ICE flight overnight on 16-17 April. Larger figures in other reports referred to planned future flights, not this group.

The evidence

2 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.

Contradict 0Support 2Background 0

Supports the claim
Fifteen South American deportees from the US arrived in Kinshasa. [1]
Supports the claim
AP reports about 15 Latin American deportees arriving in Congo. [2]

How we checked

We checked the claim against AP via Washington Times, Al Jazeera. We reviewed 2 relevant sources.

Sources

[1]Al Jazeera · Fifteen South American people deported from the US arrive in DR Congo
[2]AP via Washington Times · 15 Latin American deportees from the United States arrive in Congo

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