The Trump administration has announced a temporary pause on the removal of detainees to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the Ebola outbreak in the region worsens, according to a report by Politico. However, experts argue that this measure will not effectively curb the spread of the disease and may leave individuals in precarious situations.
Stranded in Kinshasa
At least one woman, Adriana Zapata, a 55-year-old Colombian who fled to the US, is now in limbo after being transferred to Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, over a month ago. Despite a US judge ordering her return to the United States, officials cite the Ebola travel ban imposed on Monday as the reason they cannot bring her back. Zapata, who has complex medical needs that the DRC cannot adequately address, remains stranded.
“I’m just really worried about losing her,” Zapata’s lawyer, Lauren O’Neal, told Gothamist. “I don’t want her to die before we can get her back here.”
Risks of Deportation Amid Outbreak
Immigration agents face potential exposure to the virus during deportation flights, and the virus could inadvertently spread closer to the US due to the administration’s immigration tactics, unnamed officials told Politico. The decision to pause removals is partly motivated by legal concerns, as deporting individuals to a region with an active Ebola outbreak could be used as a defense in their immigration cases.
“By the government’s own logic, if it is not safe for people to come from there to here, it is equally unsafe to send people there,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International and former top Ebola response official at USAID during the 2014-15 outbreak. He questioned the rationale behind deporting people to countries like the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan while simultaneously banning travelers from those regions.
Uncertain Future for Deportees
The fate of refugees who have already been forcibly moved to Ebola-affected or neighboring countries remains unclear. Independent journalist Gillian Brockell, who tracks US third-country removals, reports that at least 37 individuals have been sent to these regions in recent months. She suspects the travel ban is being used as an excuse to avoid returning Zapata, noting that threatening detainees with deportation to distant African nations is a common tactic.
“To publicly take one of their main scare tactics off the table, they are only going to do that if it helps them in some way,” Brockell said. She also pointed out that the US has previously evacuated people from Ebola-affected areas, including patients with active cases, and that William Walters, a former State Department official and expert in high-risk medical evacuations, now works as an ICE contractor. “The Trump administration could absolutely return Adriana Zapata to the US; telling the judge it can’t be done just isn’t true,” she added.
Legal and Health Concerns
Immigration lawyer Camille Mackler warned that sending immigrants against their will to other countries could violate international law. “Basically, the US can’t send people back to where they will be persecuted, so we’re exporting our immigration enforcement,” she said. With no official numbers, experts estimate that between 8,000 and 15,000 people have been flown to third countries. Mackler expressed concern that detainees in affected areas may not receive adequate medical care, potentially leading to the spread of the virus to South and Central America, where healthcare systems are less prepared for viral hemorrhagic fevers.
Screening Measures in Place
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that all passengers from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan will be diverted to Washington-Dulles International Airport for screening. “The US is putting in place travel measures to limit risk,” said Satish Pillai, the CDC’s Ebola response lead. While these measures make it unlikely that travelers like Zapata would bring Ebola into the US, experts argue that the proper process would be to bring her back and subject her to the same health protocols as returning citizens.
“If the Trump administration is serious about countering the spread of Ebola, the US government should restore health-related humanitarian funding it gutted across Africa; designate temporary protected status for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan; and halt all deportation flights to the region – including flights involving Latin Americans and other third country nationals,” said Yael Schacher, director for the Americas and Europe at Refugees International.
